Sucralose-containing composition and edible products containing the composition

ABSTRACT

A composition which is obtained by causing a specific compound to be present together with sucralose. The composition provides a sucralose in a stable form, more particularly, a sucralose which is still stable and thus is significantly suppressed with respect to the decrease in sweetness and discoloration (browning blackening), even when it is subjected to a warming treatment under a condition wherein temperature is high and especially water content is low and/or pH is low. The stabilized sucralose-containing composition can be used a sweetener by itself and as a compound with a food or a drug.

This application is a National Stage Filing of PCT/JP00/02496 filed Apr.17, 2000.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a sucralose-containing composition.More particularly, the invention relates to a sucralose preparation withthe thermal stability of sucralose improved by formulating a definedsubstance in combination with sucralose. In addition, the presentinvention relates to a sucralose preparation with the sweetness (theintensity and quality of sweetness) of sucralose further improved byformulating a defined substance in combination with sucralose. Thesucralose preparation of the present invention is exceptionally stablewhether in solution or in dry state, not only at room temperature butalso at elevated temperature, with the consequent advantage that it canbe easily handled in the production, storage and distribution stageswhere it may be exposed to unpredictably and widely variableenvironmental conditions. Moreover, because of its excellent thermalstability, the sucralose-containing composition (sucralose preparation)of the present invention can be formulated as a sweetener in a varietyof edible or ingestable products (e.g. foods and pharmaceuticals).

The present invention is further directed to a method of producing saidsucralose-containing composition and further to an edible product inwhich said sucralose-containing composition has been formulated.

BACKGROUND ART

As a sweetener, sucrose (sugar) has heretofore been used broadly on thestrength of its sweetness of good quality and good body (a full-bodiedmouthfeel), humectant properties and viscosity-impartingcharacteristics. However, the recent health-mindedness and orientationof the public toward low-calorie intake have cut down on the ingestionof sucrose, which is causative of obesity and dental caries, andparticularly in the field of delicacy items such as drinks and desserts,the demand for energy sparing is the order of the day. For this reason,research and development work has been in progress on high-sweetnesssweeteners as substitutes for sugar and, among them, sucralose having asweetness about 600 times as high as that of sucrose is attractingattention as a novel sweetener in view of its being anon-caries-producing, non-metabolizable and non-calorie sweetener.

In contrast to peptide sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose rankshigh in stability. It is reported that particularly in the form of anaqueous solution, sucralose remains exceptionally stable even under hightemperature and low pH conditions, retaining a satisfactory sweetnessprofile (the intensity and quality of sweetness) (M. E. Quinlan, J. FoodSci., 55 (1), 244 (1990)). On the other hand, however, it is known thatcrystalline sucralose tends to be thermolabile, turning light-brown incolor when stored in dry state at elevated temperature and that it isseverely decomposed when stored at a temperature of about 40° C. orhigher for a protracted time.

For stabilizing sucralose against discoloration under high-temperatureand dry conditions and the following methods have so far been attempted.

(1) The method which comprises atomizing sucralose crystals down to acertain particle diameter (Japanese Examined Patent Publication No.2562147); (2) the method which comprises preparing a mixed solution ofsucralose and a water-soluble oligosaccharide in water and spray-dryingor freeze-drying the solution to give a sweet concentrate (JapaneseExamined Patent Publication No. 2521308); (3) the method which comprisesconverting sucralose and cyclodextrin to an eutectic complex (JapaneseUnexamined Patent Publication H02-258714); (4) the method whichcomprises converting sucralose and a nitrogen-containing base to aneutectic complex (British Patent GB2169601 “Stabilization ofSucralose”); (5) the method which comprises dissolving sucralosetogether with a stabilizer (a cellulose or carbohydrate), a buffer (e.g.an organic acid and/or an organic acid salt) and a preservative (e.g.benzoic acid) in water to give a mixed solution and freeze-drying thesolution (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication H04-258269), and (6)the method which comprises stabilizing sucralose with cellulose, calciumcarbonate and dicalcium phosphate (Japanese Unexamined PatentPublication H04-228048).

However, the above methods (1) and (2) are disadvantageous in that theattainable stability of sucralose is still insufficient; the methods (3)and (4) are disadvantageous in that because the final product ismorphologically limited to a crystalline complex, no versatility can beobtained in the form of usage and limitations on production parametersare also considerable; and the methods (5) and (6) are lacking inuniversal utility because auxiliary materials not completely soluble inwater are included. Thus, a sucralose preparation stabilized againstheat and exploitable in a broad range of uses remained to be developed.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

For the purpose of formulating sucralose, which is of use as asweetener, stably in various edible products such as foods andpharmaceuticals and for the purpose of using sucralose as such in a morestable state, for example as a dry product such as a table sweetener,the inventors of the present invention did intensive research literallyaround the clock and, as a result, found that the above-mentioneddisadvantages of sucralose can be overcome by formulating a definedsubstance in combination with sucralose, i.e. that the thermal stabilityof sucralose can be improved to preclude untoward events such asdiscoloration even on warming under rugged conditions or warming inmoisture-lean state and, moreover, the reduction in sweetness due towarming can be significantly inhibited.

The present invention has been developed on the basis of the abovefindings.

In the first aspect, therefore, the present invention is directed to asucralose-containing composition comprising sucralose and one or more ofthe under-defined substances:

-   -   Purine bases or compounds having a purine base as a constituent;        pyrimidine bases or compounds having a pyrimidine base as a        constituent; flavonoids or glycosides thereof; polyphenols;        organic phosphoric acid compounds; hydroxy-acids or salts        thereof; sulfur-containing compounds; lignans; carotenoids or        glycosides thereof; tocopherols; saponins: organic acids or        salts thereof; inorganic salts (inclusive of inorganic acid        salts); protein hydrolysates; amino acids or salts thereof;        basic substances; polyol compounds; porphyrin compounds;        chelating agents; melanoidins; reductones; oils and fats;        phospholipids; butylhydroxyanisole or butylhydroxytoluene;        citrus fruit components; betaines or isobetanins; and shogaol,        oryzanol, or ferulic acid.

In the second aspect, the present invention is directed to a sweetenercomprising said sucralose-containing composition. This sweetener hasgood thermal stability and storage stability in moisture-lean condition,that is to say in solid state, so that it can be used not only as it is,for example as a kitchen sweetener or a table sweetener but also as asweetener in dry-mix products such as cake mixes, powdery beverages andso forth.

In the third aspect, the present invention is directed to a method ofproducing said sucralose-containing composition. In thesucralose-containing composition, it is sufficient that said substanceor substances coexist with sucralose but it is preferable that thesecomponents coexist in a uniformly intermingled state. The invention isparticularly concerned with a method of producing such a composition.

In the fourth aspect, the present invention is directed to an ingestableor edible product containing said sucralose-containing composition. Theedible product mentioned above is not only free from the untoward eventssuch as decreased sweetness and discoloration in the course ofproduction, storage and distribution, thanks to the thermalstabilization of sucralose by the presence of said defined substance orsubstances but also has a pleasing sweetness. Since sucralose coexistingwith said defined substance characteristically displays eminent thermalstability under moisture-lean, low pH conditions, said ingestableproduct includes foods produced by heating under water-lean or low-pHconditions, such as hard candies, cookies, and fried cakes to mention afew particularly useful examples.

In the fifth aspect, the present invention provides various uses forsaid defined substance which are relevant to sucralose. Among such usesare the use as a thermal stability-improving agent for sucralose, theuse as a discoloration inhibitor for sucralose, and the use as asweetness improving agent for sucralose.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Sucralose for use in the present invention is structurally characterizedin that, as represented by the following formula (I), the three hydroxylgroups in the 1,6-positions of the fructose residue and the 4-positionof the glucose residue within the sucrose molecule have been replaced bychlorine atoms (4,1′,6′-trichlorogalactosucrose; chemical name:1,6-dichloro-1,6-dideoxy-B-D-fructofuranosyl-4-chloro-4-deoxy-a-D-garactopyranoside)and is a non-calorie, non-dental caries-producing high-sweetnesssweetener having a quality sweetness about 600 times as high as that ofsucrose [British Patent No. 1543167].

I. Sucralose-Containing Composition and Method of Producing the Same

The present invention has been developed on the basis of the findingthat the stability of sucralose is enhanced in the presence of a definedsubstance to preclude untoward events such as discoloration regardlessof moisture content and even under comparatively rugged conditions suchas heating and that the reduction in sweetness (intensity and quality)of sucralose is then significantly inhibited, enabling sucralose toretain a satisfactory sweetness.

The defined substance mentioned above includes the following:

-   (1) Purine bases or compounds having a purine base as a    constituent, (2) pyrimidine bases or compounds having a pyrimidine    base as a constituent, (3) flavonoids or glycosides thereof, (4)    polyphenols, (5) organic phosphoric acid compounds, (6) hydroxy    acids or salts thereof, (7) sulfur-containing compounds. (8)    lignans, (9) carotenoids or glycosides thereof, (10)    tocopherols, (11) saponins, (12) organic acids or salts    thereof, (13) inorganic salts (inclusive of inorganic acid    salts), (14) protein hydrolysates, (15) amino acids or salts    thereof, (16) basic substances, (17) polyol compounds, (18)    porphyrin compounds, (19) chelating agents, (20) melanoidins, (21)    reductones, (22) oils or fats, (23) phospholipids, (24)    butylhydroxyanisole or butylhydroxytoluene, (25) citrus fruit    components, (26) betaines or isobetanins, and (27) shogaol,    oryzanol, or ferulic acid.

The purine base in the context of the present invention is a genericterm denoting purine and purine derivatives as derivatized bysubstituting a purine nucleus in one or more arbitrary positions,including such species as adenine, guanine and hypoxanthine, amongothers. The compound having a purine base as a constituent includesnucleosides, nucleotides, oligonucleotides and polynucleotides eachhaving a purine base as a constituent, namely such nucleosides asadenosine, guanosine and inosine; such nucleotides as adenylic acid,guanylic acid and inosinic acid; such oligonucleotides as oligoadenylicacid; and such polynucleotides as polyadenylic acid and so forth. Thenucleotides, oligonucleotides and polynucleotides may each be in theform of a salt which is preferably a salt with an alkali metal such assodium or potassium. These compounds can be used each independently orin an arbitrary combination of two or more species.

The preferred purine base or compound having a purine base as aconstituent includes inosine, hypoxanthine, inosinic acid, adenylicacid, guanylic acid and the sodium salts of these nucleotides. Amongthese, inosinic acid and sodium inosinate are particularly effective inpreventing the discoloration of sucralose (inclusive of browning andblackening) during high-temperature storage and, therefore, can be usedwith advantage as discoloration inhibitors.

The pyrimidine base in the context of the present invention is a genericterm denoting pyrimidine and pyrimidine derivatives as derivatized bysubstituting a pyrimidine nucleus in one or more arbitrary positions,such as uracil, cytosine and thymine, among others. The compound havinga pyrimidine base as a constituent in the context of the inventionincludes nucleosides, nucleotides, oligonucleotides and polynucleotideshaving a pyrimidine base as a constituent, for example such nucleosidesas cytidine, uridine and thymine; such nucleotides as cytidylic acid,uridylic acid and thymidylic acid; such oligonucleotides asoligouridylic acid etc., and such polynucleotides as polyuridylic acidand so forth. These nucleotides, oligonucleotides and polynucleotidesmay each be used in the form of a salt which is preferably a salt withan alkali metal such as sodium or potassium. These may be used eachindependently or in an arbitrary combination of two or more species.

The preferred pyrimidine base and compound having a pyrimidine base as aconstituent include cytidylic acid, uridylic acid, and the sodium saltsof these nucleotides.

In the present invention, nucleic acids as such, a yeast extractcontaining such nucleic acids, and the like may optionally be used assaid purine base, said pyrimidine base or said nucleosides andnucleotides (oligonucleotides and polynucleotides) having such a base asa constituent.

In the context of the invention, the flavonoid is a generic termdenoting compounds having a 2-phenylchromone nucleus, thus includingflavonols, flavones, isoflavones, flavanones, flavanonols, catechin,aurone, hesperetin and anthocyanidins, among others. In the presentinvention, various glucosides having such flavonoids as aglicone can beused in lieu of, or in combination with, said flavonoids. Specifically,the flavonoides and glycosides thereof include flavonols such asquercetin, myricetin quercetin and morin; flavonol glycosides such asquercitrin, isoquercitrin, myricitrin, and rutin; flavones includingflavone, apigenin and luteolin; isoflavones such as daidzein etc.;isoflavone glycosides such as daidzin etc.; flavanones such ashesperitin etc.; flavanone glycosides such as hesperidin,methylhesperidin and nalindin; flavanonols; flavanonol glycosides;catechin glycosides; aurone such as benzalcoumaranion etc.; auroneglycosides; anthocyanidins such as proanthocyanidin, pelargonidin, etc.;and anthocyanidin glycosides such as anthocyanin and pelargonin.

These may be used each independently or in an arbitrary combination oftwo or more species. In the present invention, any material containingsuch a flavonoid or flavonoid glycoside can be employed; i.e.flavonoid-containing colors such as red cabbage color, purple potatocolor, and purple corn color can be utilized.

The preferred flavonoid or flavonoid glycoside includes such flavonolglycosides as quercitrin and myricitrin; such flavanone glycosides ashesperidin and methylhesperidin; and such anthocyanidin glycosides aspelargonin.

In the context of the present invention, polyphenol is a generic termdenoting phenols containing two or more hydroxyl groups within amolecule. Specifically, tannic acid, tannin, gallic acid, catechol andcoffeic acid can be mentioned as examples.

These may be used each in the form of a salt, for example a salt with analkali metal such as sodium or potassium or a salt with an alkalineearth metal such as magnesium or calcium. These may be used eachindependently or in an arbitrary combination of two or more species. Thepreferred polyphenol for use in the invention includes tannic acid,gallic acid and catechol.

The organic phosphoric acid compound in the context of the inventionincludes phytic acid, glycerophosphoric acid, riboflavin phosphate,starch phosphate, etc. and their salts. The salts may be salts withalkali metals such as sodium and potassium or salts with alkaline earthmetals such as magnesium and calcium. The preferred are sodium salts.These may be used each independently or in an arbitrary combination oftwo or more species. The preferred organic phosphoric acid compoundincludes phytic acid, glycerophosphoric acid, riboflavin phosphate, andtheir salts (particularly sodium salts).

The hydroxy acid in the context of the invention is a generic termdenoting compounds having a carboxyl group and an alcoholic hydroxylgroup within the molecule, thus including lactic acid, gluconic acid,tartaric acid, ketogluconic acid, glyceric acid, malic acid and citricacid, to mention just a few examples. The hydroxy acid can be used inthe form of a salt, for example the salt with an alkali metal such assodium or potassium or the salt with an alkaline earth metal such asmagnesium or calcium. These may be used each independently or in anarbitrary combination of two or more species. The preferred are lacticacid, calcium lactate, gluconic acid, sodium gluconate, tartaric acid,sodium tartrate, malic acid and sodium malate.

The sulfur-containing compound in the context of the invention is ageneric term denoting compounds containing sulfur within the molecule,thus including glutathione, methionine, cysteine, cystine, indigocarmine and so forth. These may be used each independently or in anarbitrary combination of two or more species. The preferred areglutathione, indigo carmine, cystein and methionine and the morepreferred are glutathione and indigo carmine.

The lignan in the context of the invention is a generic term denotingplant components consisting of a couple of C6-C3 units, i.e.plant-derived substances having a β, γ-dibenzylbutane nucleus, thusincluding sesame seed components such as sesamin, sesamolin, sesamol,and sesaminol, among others. These may be used each independently or inan arbitrary combination of two or more species. The preferred speciesis sesamol. In the present invention, a material containing a lignan canbe used in lieu of the lignan as such and sesame oil can be mentioned asa typical example of such material.

The term carotenoid in the context of the invention means any and allyellow or red colors (carotenoid colors), including aliphatic oralicyclic polyenes containing a large number of conjugated double bonds.Specifically, various carotene species such as α-carotene, β-caroteneand γ-carotene, lycopene and capsaicin can be mentioned as examples. Thepreferred are the carotene species mentioned above. In the presentinvention, glycosides of carotenoids can also be employed and, as such acompound, there can be mentioned a gardenia color composed of thecarotenoid crocetin and glucose. These carotinoids and glucosidesthereof can be used each independently or in an arbitrary combinationfor two or more species.

The tocopherol for use in the invention includes α-, β-, γ- andδ-tocopherols (each inclusive of d- and d1-forms) and lower fatty acidesters thereof. These may be used each independently or in an arbitrarycombination of two or more species. The preferred species areβ-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol.

The saponin for use in the invention includes steroid saponins (C27) andtriterpenoid saponins (C30). Specifically, such steroid saponins asdigitonin and dioscine and such triterpenoid saponins as glycyrrhizinand soybean saponin can be mentioned. Furthermore, as said glycyrrhizin,licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) and licorice extracts containing it as aconstituent can also be employed. These may be used each independentlyor in an arbitrary combination of two or more species. The preferred isglycyrrhizin.

The organic acid for use in the invention includes succinic acid, aceticacid, fumaric acid, itaconic acid, ketoglutaric acid, adipic acid andgluconic acid. These organic acids may each be used in the form of asalt which may, for example, be the salt with an alkali metal such assodium or potassium or the salt with an alkaline earth metal such asmagnesium or calcium. These may be used each independently or in anarbitrary combination of two or more species. Furthermore, gluconic acidcan be used in the derivative form of gluconolactone. The preferredspecies are acetic acid, fumaric acid, succinic acid, and sodium saltsthereof.

The inorganic salt for use in the invention includes the alkali metalsalts (salts with sodium or potassium) and alkaline earth metal salts(salts with magnesium or calcium) of various inorganic acids such asphosphoric acid, metaphosphoric acid, pyrophosphoric acid,polyphosphoric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, carbonic acid, etc.;and such alkali metal salts as sodium chloride and potassium chlorideand such alkaline earth metal salts as magnesium chloride and calciumchloride. These may be used each independently or in an arbitrarycombination of two or more species. The preferred are salts of aninorganic acid such as phosphoric acid, metaphosphoric acid,pyrophosphoric acid or polyphosphoric acid, and sodium chloride. Themore preferred are phosphates, particularly disodium hydrogenphosphate,and sodium chloride.

The protein hydrolysate in the context of the invention may be anyhydrolysis product of protein, including mixtures of polypeptides,peptides and amino acids. The protein may be of any origin; thus it maybe a protein of the animal origin or a protein of the vegetable origin.Moreover, the degree of hydrolysis is not particularly restrictedinasmuch as the protein has not been completely degraded to itscomponent amino acids or amino acid salts and can serve the purposes ofthe invention. The protein hydrolysate specifically includeshydrolysates of animal proteins, for example casein-derived peptidessuch as casein phosphopeptide (α-CPP, β-CPP), casein macropeptide andcasein dodecapeptide and whey protein hydrolysates, and hydrolysates ofvegetable proteins, such as soybean peptides which are products ofhydrolysis of soybean proteins. The preferred are casein-derivedpeptides and soybean peptides.

The amino acid compound in the context of the invention means any andall of amino acid, oligoamino acid (peptide), polyamino acid(polypeptide), and amino acid derivative. Specifically, such amino acidsas arginine, hystidine, glycine, alanine, serine, glutamic acid,aspartic acid, lysine, tryptophan, etc: oligoamino acids; such polyaminoacids as polylysine etc.; such amino acid derivatives as betaines(trialkylated amino acids), e.g. trimethylglycine; and theanine.

These amino acids may each be in the form of a salt, an acid additionproduct or a hydrate, and as specific examples, arginine hydrochlorideand sodium glutamate may be mentioned. These may be used eachindependently or in an arbitrary combination of two or more species.

The basic substance for use in the invention includes alkaloids having apurine base nucleus, such as caffeine, nicotinamide, glucosamine,chitosan, pyridoxine hydrochloride, and folic acid. These may be usedeach independently or in an arbitrary combination of two or morespecies. The preferred are caffeine and nicotinamide.

The polyol compound in the context of the invention means any and alldiol compounds and polyol compounds, thus including ascorbic acid,ascorbyl stearate, ascorbyl palmitate, isoascorbic acid, inositol, andsugar alcohol. The sugar alcohol includes but is not limited toerythritol, sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, palatinose, lactitol, xylitol,arabitol, galactitol and ribitol. These may be used each independentlyor in an arbitrary combination of two or more species.

The porphyrin compound in the context of the invention includesprotoporphyrin, porphyrin, chlorophyll, biliverdin and pyrrole. Thesemaybe used each independently or in an arbitrary combination of two ormore species.

The chelating agent in the context of the invention is a generic termdenoting all chemical substances having a multidentate ligand capable ofcoupling a metal ion to form a chelate compound, includingpolyaminocarboxylic acids, such as ethylenediaminetetracetic acid(EDTA), salts thereof, dimethylglyoxime, and so forth. These may be usedeach independently or in an arbitrary combination of two or morespecies. The preferred are EDTA and EDTA sodium salt.

Melanoidin in the context of the invention is a brown-colorednitrogenous substance which is produced from a reducing sugar and anamino compound by the so-called melanoidin reaction (alias Maillardreaction).

Reductone in the context of the invention is a generic term denoting allstrongly reducing substances that reductively decolorize Tillmanreagent, thus meaning any compound having a carbonyl group adjacent toethylenediol. Specifically, vitamin C and to glucoreductone, amongothers, can be mentioned.

The oil or fat in the context of the invention is not particularlyrestricted insofar as the expected effect of the invention may beexpressed, and, as such, includes beef tallow, lard, rapeseed oil, cornoil, safflower oil, sesame oil and so forth. The preferred is sesameoil.

The phospholipid in the context of the invention is a kind of compoundlipid, including phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylglycerin andphosphatidylcholine, inclusive of hydrolysates and glycerol adductsthereof. These may be used each independently or in an arbitrarycombination of two or more species.

The citrus fruit component in the context of the invention includesfruit juice components of plants belonging to the any of genus Citrus,the genus Fortunella, and the genus Poncirus, and such fruit juiceincludes orange juice, lemon juice and yuzu juice, among others. Thefruit juice may be the juice just obtained by squeezing the fruit but inorder that the opacification or sedimentation due to hesperidin andother ingredients may be prevented, it is good practice to use a fruitjuice treated with an enzyme, such as hesperidinase, in advance. Theform of said fruit juice component is not restricted but may be a liquidor a solid available on desiccation of the liquid (e.g. powders,granules and the like).

The betaine or isobetanin is a red color component obtainable from redbeet. In the present invention, beet red (a betacyanine color)containing betaine or isobetanin as a principal ingredient can be usedas said betaine or isobetanin.

The sucralose-containing composition of the present invention includesthe following specific preparations.

-   (1) A sucralose preparation further containing a purine base or a    compound having a purine base as a constituent.-   (2) A sucralose preparation further containing a pyrimidine base or    a compound having a pyrimidine base as a constituent.-   (3) A sucralose preparation further containing a flavonoid or    flavonoide glycoside.-   (4) A sucralose preparation further containing a polyphenol.-   (5) A sucralose preparation further containing an organic phosphoric    acid compound.-   (6) A sucralose preparation further containing a hydroxyl acid or a    salt thereof.-   (7) A sucralose preparation further containing a sulfur-containing    compound.-   (8) A sucralose preparation further containing a lignan.-   (9) A sucralose preparation further containing a carotenoid or    carotenoid glycoside.-   (10) A sucralose preparation further containing a tocopherol.-   (11) A sucralose preparation further containing a saponin.-   (12) A sucralose preparation further containing an organic acid or a    salt thereof.-   (13) A sucralose preparation further containing an inorganic salt.-   (14) A sucralose preparation further containing a protein    hydrolysate.-   (15) A sucralose preparation further containing an amino acid    compound.-   (16) A sucralose preparation further containing a basic substance.-   (17) A sucralose preparation further containing apolyol compound.-   (18) A sucralose preparation further containing a porphyrin    compound.-   (19) A sucralose preparation further containing a chelating agent.-   (20) A sucralose preparation further containing a melanoidin.-   (21) A sucralose preparation further containing a reductone.-   (22) A sucralose preparation further containing an oil or fat.-   (23) A sucralose preparation further containing a phospholipid.-   (24) A sucralose preparation further containing butylhydroxyanisole    or butylhydroxytoluene.-   (25) A sucralose preparation further containing a citrus fruit juice    component.-   (26) A sucralose preparation further containing a betaine or    isobetanin.-   (27) A sucralose preparation further containing shogaol, oryzanol or    ferulic acid.

The defined substances mentioned hereinabove may each be incorporatedindependently in the sucralose preparation as it is the case with theabove specific preparations (1)-(27) but two or more of the substancesmay be formulated together in combination with sucralose.

Thus, the sucralose preparation of the present invention is acomposition comprising sucralose and one or more substances selectedfrom the group consisting of purine bases, compounds containing a purinebase as a constituent, pyrimidine bases, compounds containing apyrimidine base as a constituent, flavonoids, flavonoid glucosides,polyphenols, organic phosphoric acid compounds, hydroxy acids, hydroxyacid salts, sulfur-containing compounds, lignans, carotenoids,carotenoid glucosides, tocopherols, saponins, organic acids, organicacid salts, inorganic salts, protein hydrolysates, amino acids, basicsubstances, polyol compounds, porphyrin compounds, chelating agents,melanoidins, reductones, fats or oils, phospholipides,butylhydroxyanisole, butylhydroxytoluene, citrus fruit juice components,betaines, isobetanins, shogaol, oryzanol and ferulic acid.

Among such compositions, the composition comprising sucralose and one ormore substances selected from the group consisting of compounds having apurine base as a constituent (nucleosides and nucleotides or saltsthereof), organic phosphoric acid compounds, hydroxy acids, hydroxy acidsalts, sulfur-containing compounds, saponins, organic acids, organicacid salts, inorganic salts and amino acids is particularly satisfactoryin terms of thermal stability (discoloration inhibitory effect,sweetness reduction inhibitory effect, taste-improving effect) and,therefore, is of use as a versatile composition. As the preferredsubstances, there can be mentioned sodium inosinate, sodium citrate,potassium citrate, calcium citrate, sodium phytate, potassium phytate,calcium phytate, calcium lactate, DL-methionine, arginine hydrochloride,glycyrrhizin, calcium gluconate, sodium gluconate and sodium sulfate.

It is sufficient that the sucralose preparation according to theinvention contains sucralose and at least one member selected from amongthe above-defined substances, and may be in any desired form, forexample powdery, granular, solid (tablets, pills, etc.), or liquid. Thepreferred form is powders, granules or a solid.

The technology of producing said preparation is not particularlyrestricted but includes the method which comprises blending a powder ofsucralsoe with a powder of said substance to give a powdery mixture, themethod which comprises spraying a powder or granulation of sucralosewith a solution of said substance, the method which conversely comprisesspraying a solution of said substance over a powder or granulation ofsucralose, the method which comprises mix-dispersing sucralose and saidsubstance in a liquid medium to prepare a slurry and extruding thedispersion to prepare a granulation, and the method which comprisesdissolving sucralose and said substance together and drying thesolution. The drying can be effected by any desired method: for example,spray-drying, drum-drying, freeze-drying and other techniques can bementioned.

The preferred sucralose preparation is a powdery, granular or solidcomposition which can be obtained by dissolving sucralose and saidsubstance together in water or mixing an aqueous solution of sucralosewith an aqueous solution of said substance in the first place and, then,drying the solution or mixture.

The formulation levels of sucralose and said substance in the sucralosecomposition are not particularly restricted but can be judiciouslyselected within the range conducive to the effect of the invention. Byway of illustration, the proportion of said defined substance relativeto sucralose in the preparation is not less than 0.0001 part by weight,preferably not less than 0.001 part by weight, more preferably not lessthan 0.01 part by weight, based on each part by weight of sucralose.There is no particular upper limit from the standpoint of the effect ofthe invention, although extraneous factors such as the influence of thetaste and aroma of the very substance used should be taken intoconsideration.

Within the limit not interfering with the effect of the invention, thesucralose preparation according to the invention may contain, inaddition to sucralose and said defined substance, other sweeteners,flavors, antiseptics, stabilizers and other ingredients.

The other sweeteners mentioned just above may be the sweeteningsubstances which are already known or expected to be known in thefuture, including α-glycosyl transferase-treated stevia, α-cyclodextrin,β-cyclodextrin, aspartame, acesulfam potassium, N-acetylglucosamine,arabinose, allitame, isotrehalose, isomaltitol, isomaltooligosaccharide(isomaltose, isomaltotriose, panose, etc.), erythritol,oligo-N-acetylglucosamine, galactose, galactosylsucrose,galactosyllactose,galactopyranosyl(β1-3)galactopyranosyl(β1-4)glucopyranose,galactopyranosyl(β1-3)glucopyranose,galactopyranosyl(β1-6)galactopyranosyl(β1-4)glucopyranose,galactopyranosyl(β1-6)glucopyranose, licolice extract (glycyrrhizin),xylitol, xylose, xylooligosaccharide (xylotriose, xylobiose, etc.),glycerol, triammonium glycyrrhetinate, tripotassium glycyrrhetinate,trisodiumglycyrrhetinate, diammonium glycyrrhetinate,dipotassiumglycyrrhetinate, disodium glycyrrhetinate, curculin, glucose,gentiooligosaccharide (gentiobiose, gentiotriose, gentiotetraose, etc.),saccharin, saccharin sodium, cyclamate, sucrose, stachyose, steviaextract, stevia powder, dulcin, sorbitol, sorbose, thaumatin,theandeoligo, theandeoligosaccharide, tenryo-cha extract, trehalulose,trehalose, Nigeria berry extract, nigerooligosaccharide (nigerose etc.),neotame, neotrehalose, neohesperidindihydrochalcone, palatinit,palatinose, palatinose oligosaccharide, palatinose syrup, fucose,fructooligosaccharide (ketose, nystose, etc.), fructosyltransferase-treated stevia, fructofuranosylnystose, Brazilian licoliceextract, fructose, polydextrose, maltitol, maltose,maltosyl-β-cyclodextrin, maltotetraitol, maltotriitol,maltooligosaccharide (maltotriose, tetraose, pentaose, hexaose,heptaose, etc.) mannitol, miracle fruit extract, melibiose, rakankaextract, lactitol, lactulose, lactose, raffinose, rhamnose, ribose,isomerized syrup, reducing isomaltooligosaccharide, reducingxylooligosaccharide, reducing gentiooligosaccharide, reducing maltosesyrup, reducing starch syrup, enzyme-treated licolice, enzymaticallydegraded licorice, coupling sugar, soybean oligosaccharide, invertsugar, starch syrup, honey and so forth.

As the sucralse-containing compositions further containing suchsweeteners as above in accordance with the invention, the followingpreparations can be mentioned by way of example.

(1) A sucralose preparation obtainable by spray-drying a syrupcontaining sucralose, at least one species of said defined substance andsucrose together with an inert gas and contacting it further withcrystalline sucrose; (2) a sucralose preparation obtainable bygranulating a composition comprising sucralose and at least one speciesof said defined substance using reducing palatinose as an excipient;

-   -   (3) a sucralose preparation obtainable by depositing or coating        a composition comprising sucralose and at least one species of        said defined substance on an oligosaccharide; (4) a sucralose        preparation obtainable by granulating a composition comprising        sucralose and at least one species of said defined substance        using lactitol as an excipient; (5) a sucralose preparation        obtainable by covering the surface of erythritol crystals with a        composition comprising sucralose and at least one species of        said defiend substance (optionally further containing a sizing        agent such as gelatin or locust bean gum as a binder); (6) a        sucralose preparation obtainable by crystallizing from a        supersaturated aqueous solution of erythritol formulated with a        composition comprising sucralose and at least one species of        said defined substance; (7) a sucralose preparation obtainable        by spray-drying an aqueous solution containing sucralose, at        least one species of said defined substance, and erythritol;        and (8) a sucralose preparation obtainable by adding a        composition comprising sucralose and at least one species of        said defined substance to a highly-concentrated aqueous solution        or hot melt of erythritol, kneading the mixture for        crystallization and crushing the resulting solid.

The sucralose preparation according to the present invention can be usednot only as a kitchen sweetener or a table sweetener, substituting forsucrose and other sweeteners which are conventionally used forsweetening purposes but also as a sweetener to be formulated in allkinds of edible products (for example, foods, oral medicines, mouthrefreshers, mouthwashes, dentifrices, etc).

The sucralose preparation according to the present invention ischaracterized in that regardless of its moisture content, it is highlystable against heat, hence retaining a high-intensity, high-qualitysweetness and not undergoing undesirable changes such as discoloration(inclusive of browning and blackening) even under rugged temperatureconditions to which it may be exposed during production, storage,distribution, and display. The investigation done by the inventors ofthe present invention revealed that whereas sucralose as such iscomparatively stable in solution, its thermal stability is compromisedin water-lean solid state, with the result that when it is exposed to anelevated temperature, its sweetness is reduced and discoloration alsotakes place. The sucralose preparation according to the invention ishighly stable against heat even in water-lean dry state and, in thisrespect, the above shortcoming of sucralose has been obviated and thissweetener is made easier to handle and more universally useful.

As mentioned hereinbefore, the sucralose preparation of the presentinvention is not particularly restricted in form or mode of use and canbe used in any of solid, liquid and semisolid forms. However, since amore prominent thermal stabilizing effect (prevention of discoloration,prevention of deterioration in sweetness) can be realized when it isused in water-lean condition, with statistical significance as comparedwith the use of sucralose alone, this preparation is particularly usefulfor solid-state applications. The water-lean condition mentioned aboveusually means a condition in which the moisture content is not more than20 weight %, particularly not more than 15 weight %, based on the wholecomposition but the water content conducive to a still more prominenteffect of the sucralose preparation of the invention is not more than 5weight %.

II. Edible Products Containing the Sucralose Preparation

The sucralose composition of the present invention can be used in thepreparation of edible products of which sweetness is required.Therefore, the present invention is directed to an edible productcontaining said sucralose preparation, more particularly an edibleproduct containing sucralose and said defined substance.

The edible product to which the present invention is directed includes abroad range of products which are ingested by mouth and products whichare utilized in the mouth. Thus, there can be mentioned various foodsinclusive of seasonings, salted foods, cakes and drinks; oral medicinesinclusive of dragees, drops, troches, oral or throat sprays, and syrups;quasi-drugs for oral cavity antisepsis or cleaning, such as mouthrefreshers, e.g. mouth sprays, mouth washes, gargles, dentrifices, andso forth.

Specific foodstuffs are not particularly restricted but cover a broadrange of farm and fishery products inclusive of beverages in general,e.g. nonalcoholic beverages such as fruit drinks containing variousfruit juices, vegetable juices, carbonated drinks such as cola, gingerale, cider, etc.; sport drinks and other soft drinks; coffee, black tea,ground green tea and other tea drinks; milk drinks such as cocoa andlactic acid bacteria drink; confections inclusive of desserts such asyoghurt, jelly, pudding, form froth (mousse), etc.; baked or steamedcakes inclusive of Western style and Japanese style confections such ascakes and buns with bean jam fillings, snack cakes, etc.; frozen cakesor glaces such as ice cream and sherbet; other sweetmeats in general,such as chewing gum, hard candy, nougat candy, jelly bean, etc.;powdery, granular or solid (pellet, tablet) dry sweeteners such askitchen sweeteners and table sweeteners and various other condiments;dry mix products, e.g. powdery cake premixes such as cake mix, puddingmix and bavarois mix, and powdery drinks sauces inclusive of fruitflavored sauce and chocolate sauce; creams such as butter cream, rawcream, etc.; jams such as strawberry jam and marmalade; bread inclusiveof “cake” bread; sauces such as tare (dressings) for broiled meat,broiled chicken, broiled eel, etc. and tomato ketchup; kamaboko andother fish paste products; retort foods, pickles, soy-cooked foods,delicatessen foods, and frozen foods.

The amount of the sucralose preparation of the invention for use in suchedible products is not particularly restricted only provided that it iseffective enough to impart the desired degree of sweetness to the edibleproduct. Sweetness is available parameter which depends on the type ofsubstrate product, other ingredients in the edible product, and theindividual predilection in terms of sweetness and, therefore, theformulating amount of the sucralose preparation can be judiciouslyselected and adjusted according to the expertice of one skilled in theart so as to achieve the desired taste in the end product.

Because of its improved thermal stability, the sucralose preparationaccording to the invention is useful as a sweetener for those edibleproducts which are heated to a high temperature in the course ofproduction, particularly edible products (preferably foods) which areheat-treated in water-lean state and/or under acidic conditions.

While sucralose is inherently a thermally stable compound, a heattreatment, particularly under rugged conditions, e.g. in water-leanstate or under low pH conditions, causes a deterioration of thermalstability, a degradation (reductions) of sweetness, and discoloration.In the sucralose preparation of the present invention, the thermalstability of sucralose has been improved or potentiated so that evenwhen the preparation is formulated into edible products which aresubjected to severe heating in the course of production, it does notsuffer from a degradation (reductions) of sweetness, discoloration andother troubles, thus enabling production of edible products having goodgustatory and other qualities. Furthermore, although sucralose remainsstable under neutral alkaline (high pH) conditions, it is comparativelyunstable under acidic (low pH) conditions. The sucralose preparation ofthe invention has been improved in this stability of sucralose under lowpH conditions and, as such, is of value as a sweetener for those foodswhich are stored under low pH conditions for an extended period of timeor edible products subjected to heat treatment.

As a preferred example of such edible product, there can be mentioned ahard candy. The hard candy is manufactured by dissolving the startingliquid sugar, heat-treating it to adjust it to the proper fluidity, andfurther boiling it down until the water content of the liquid sugar hasbeen reduced to not more than about 3%. With the sucralose preparationof the invention, high-quality candies can be manufactured withoutencountering degradation (reductions) of sweetness, discoloration andother troubles. While the pH of hard candies is not restricted but maybe acidic, neutral or alkaline, the hard candy suited to the sucralosepreparation of the invention includes acidic hard candies calling foracidic tastes, such as a lemon, orange, strawberry or other fruit taste,a yogurt taste or a cola taste, particularly hard candies in the rangeof pH 2-5.

The defined substance to be formulated in combination with sucralose inhard condies may be any of the specific substances mentionedhereinbefore but it is preferably used in the form of a salt.

The salt in this context is a generic term denoting compounds derivedfrom acids by substitution of a cation, such as a metal ion or anammonium ion, for one or more dissociable hydrogen ions, and means theproduct of neutralization reaction between an acid and a base. The saltincludes all kinds of salts, namely a normal salt such that the hydrogenions of an acid have been completely replaced with other cations; anacidic salt which is a hydrogen ion (H⁺)-containing salt; a basic saltwhich is a hydroxyl (OH⁻)- or oxide ion (O²⁻)-containing salt; a simplesalt which is composed of only one kind of salt; a double salt which iscomposed of two or more kinds of salts: a complex salt which is acomplex ion-containing salt; a hydrate (hydride salt); and an anhydride.

More particularly, the substance to be used in combination withsucralose in the hard candy according to the invention includes salts ofnucleotides having a purine base, preferably salts of inosinic acid;salts of phytic acid which is an organic phosphoric acid compound: saltsof hydroxy acids such as citric acid, lactic acid, malic acid, tartaricacid, gluconic acid, ketogluconic acid and glyceric acid; salts oforganic acids such as acetic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, adipicacid, ketoglutaric acid, itaconic acid and pantothenic acid; and saltsof inorganic acids such as phosphoric acid, polyphosphoric acid,metaphosphoric acid, pyrophosphoric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid,carbonic acid and hydrochloric acid. The preferred are salts of suchacids as inosinic acid, phytic acid, citric acid, lactic acid, malicacid, tartaric acid, gluconic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, adipicacid, phosphoric acid, polyphosphoric acid, metaphosphoric acid,pyrophosphoric acid and so forth.

The base moiety of the salt includes alkali metals such as sodium andpotassium; and alkaline earth metals such as calcium and magnesium, withsodium, potassium and calcium being preferred.

The more preferred salt to be used in combination with sucraloseincludes trisodium citrate, sodium lactate, tripotassium citrate,disodium hydrogenphosphate, sodium dihydrogenphosphate, dipotassiumhydrogenphosphate, potassium dihydrogenphosphate, calcium lactate,sodium malate, sodium tartrate, sodium gluconate and sodium inosinate.

The above salts can be used each independently or in an arbitrarycombination of two or more species.

The formulating amount of said substance to be used in combination withsucralose in the hard candy varies with different species of substanceand cannot be stated in general terms but when trisodium citrate orcalcium lactate, for instance, is used as said substance, it can beformulated in a proportion of not less than 0.001 part by weight per 100parts by weight of the hard candy. The preferred proportion is not lessthan 0.005 part by weight and the more preferred proportion is not lessthan 0.02 part by weight. There is substantially no upper limit from thestandpoint of the effect of the invention, although the taste of saiddefined substance, among other variables, should be taken intoconsideration. The formulating amount of sucralose, from the standpointof imparting the desired sweetness to the candy, may generally be0.001-0.2 part by weight per 100 parts by weight of the hard candy.

The hard candy of the invention is not particularly restricted insofaras it contains sucralose and at least one species of said definedsubstance as essential ingredients. Thus, it may contain otheringredients such as various carbohydrates and food additives which aregenerally formulated for hard candies, for example flavors (inclusive ofessential oils) and colors.

All that is necessary is that the hard candy of the invention shouldcontain sucralose and said defined substance in coexistence and thetiming and method of formulating sucralose and said defined substance inthe course of manufacture are not particularly restricted. It is goodpractice, however, to formulate said substance before formulation ofsucralose or formulate both in one operation to bring them intocoexistence. It should be understood that said substance need only bepresent in the raw material of the hard candy in the stage of heattreatment of the material and that the timing of addition is notrestricted. However, depending on the specific substance used, thesubstance may undergo browning in the boiling stage. Therefore, in themanufacture of hard candies which should be protected against browning,the substance is preferably added after the boiling process. Though itis possible to add said substance as such to the raw material of a hardcandy, it is likewise possible to formulate a food material containingsaid substance, such as a dairy product or a fruit juice, into said rawmaterial.

Excepting the above aspect, the hard candy of the invention can beproduced by the process in routine use for the production of hardcandies in general. A specific process may comprise dissolving desiredcarbohydrates, such as sucrose, starch syrup and various sugar alcoholstogether in water, boiling the solution under atmospheric pressure orreduced pressure to a water content of about 3% or less, addingsucralose and at least one species of said substance, optionally as wellas various auxiliary materials such as an acidulant, flavor, pigment,etc. while the high temperature necessary to achieve a moldable fluidityis maintained, filling a die with the mixture and cooling the molding tosolidify in situ. The temperature of the raw material for a hard candywhich insures a fluidity necessary for filling and molding is about100-160° C. The procedure of filling and molding the raw material in adie can also be a routine one and specifically includes the depositmethod and the stamping method.

The addition of sucralose is preferably made using an aqueous solutionadjusted to a suitable concentration of, for example, 25%. The pHadjustment for hard candies having acidity, particularly pH 2-5, canalso be carried out in the conventional manner. Particularly in the caseof an acidic hard candy, the thermal stability of sucralose can beremarkably enhanced by causing said defined substance to coexist withsucralose, and the present invention is particularly useful for theproduction of acidic hard condies.

In accordance with the invention, the enhanced thermal stability ofsucralose in the presence of said substance precludes reductions insweetness, discoloration and other troubles even in the boiling processcarried out at high temperature, which is essential to the manufactureof hard candies, thus enabling sucralose-containing hard candies of highquality to be provided. Furthermore, since the invention contributes toa marked improvement in the themal stability of sucralose particularlyin the acidic region by causing said substance to coexist withsucralose, the sucralose preparation can be used with particularadvantage as a sweetener for acidic hard condies.

III. Method of Improving the Thermal Stability of Sucralose

As mentioned above, said defined substance when caused to coexist withsucralose may significantly inhibit undesirable phenomena such asreductions in sweetness (the intensity or quality of sweetness) anddiscoloration (browning, blackening) which would otherwise occur whensucralose is subjected to heating under rugged conditions, e.g. at hightemperature, under moisture-lean conditions, or under low pH conditions,or long-term storage at elevated temperature.

The present invention, therefore, provides a novel use of said definedsubstance, i.e. the use as a thermal stability-enhancing agent forsucralose. The invention further provides a method of improving thethermal stability of sucralose which comprises causing at least onespecies of said defined substance to coexist with sucralose.

In this connection, since the thus-improved thermal stability ofsucralose results in an inhibition of discoloration (browning andblackening) which would otherwise occur in heat treatment or storage atelevated temperature, the above-mentioned thermal stability-enhancingagent and method of improving the thermal stability of sucralose can bedefined also as a discoloration inhibitor (an inhibitor ofbrowning/blackening) and a method of inhibiting discoloration(browning/blackening inhibiting method), respectively.

Thus, in other aspects, the present invention provides a new use of saiddefined substance, that is the use as a sucralose discolorationinhibitor (an inhibitor of browing/blackening), and a method ofinhibiting discoloration of sucralose (browning/blackening inhibitingmethod) which comprises causing at least one species of said definedsubstance to coexist with sucralose.

The substance caused to coexist with sucralose as said thermalstability-enhancing agent is not particularly restricted inasmuch as itis chosen from among the specific substances mentioned hereinbefore butthe preferred species are compounds having a purine base as aconstituent (nucleosides, nucleotides and salts thereof), organicphosphoric acid compounds, hydroxy acids, hydroxy acid salts,sulfur-containing compounds, saponins, organic acids, organic acidsalts, inorganic salts and amino acids. These may be used eachindependently or in an arbitrary combination of two or more species. Asthe salts referred to above, alkali metal salts such as sodium salts andpotassium salts and alkaline earth metal salts such as calcium salts andmagnesium salts can be mentioned. The preferred are sodium salts,potassium salts and calcium salts. More particularly, there can bementioned sodium inosinate, sodium citrate, potassium citrate, calciumcitrate, sodium phytate, potassium phytate, calcium phytate, calciumlactate, methionine, arginine hydrochloride, glycyrrhizin, calciumgluconate, sodium gluconate and sodium sulfate.

The level of use of said defined substance relative to sucralose forachieving the thermal stability-enhancing effect of the invention is notparticularly restricted but is not less than 0.0001 part by weight,preferably not less than 0.001 part by weight, more preferably not lessthan 0.01 part by weight, based on each part by weight of sucralose.There is no particular upper limit from the standpoint of the effect ofthe invention, although the taste of the substance itself and othervariables should be taken into consideration.

The substance to be caused to coexist with sucralose as a discolorationinhibitor is not particularly restricted inasmuch as it is liberallychosen from among the specific substances mentioned above. Theparticularly preferred, among them, are compounds having a purine baseas a constituent (nucleosides, nucleotides and salts thereof), organicphosphoric acid compounds, hydroxy acids, hydroxy acid salts,sulfur-containing compounds, saponins, organic acids, organic acidsalts, inorganic salts and amino acids. These may be used eachindependently or in an arbitrary combination of two or more species.

The salts mentioned just above may be alkali metal salts such as sodiumsalts and potassium salts and alkaline earth metal salts such as calciumsalts and magnesium salts with sodium, potassium and magnesium saltsbeing preferred. More particularly, there can be mentioned sodiuminosinate, sodium citrate, potassium citrate, calcium citrate, sodiumphytate, potassium phytate, calcium phytate, calcium lactate,methionine, arginine hydrochloride, glycyrrhizin, calcium gluconate,sodium gluconate and sodium sulfate.

The formulating amount of said defined substance relative to sucralosefor achieving the discoloration inhibitory effect of the invention isnot particularly restricted but may for example be not less than 0.001part by weight, preferably not less than 0.01 part by weight, based oneach part by weight of sucralose. There is no particular limitation onthe upper limit from the standpoint of insuring the effect of theinvention, although the taste of the substance to be used, among othervariables, should be taken into consideration.

The above-mentioned method of thermal stabilization and method ofinhibiting discoloration are not particularly restricted, either, in themode of coexistence of sucralose and said substance or the manner inwhich these ingredients are brought into coexistence. Thus, there can bementioned the method which comprises blending a powder of sucralsoe witha powder of said substance to give a powdery mixture, the method whichcomprises spraying a powder or granulation of sucralose with a solutioncontaining at least one species of said defined substance, the methodwhich conversely comprises spraying a solution of said substance over apowder or granulation of sucralose, the method which comprisesmix-dispersing sucralose and said defined substance in a liquid mediumto prepare a slurry and extruding the dispersion to prepare agranulation, and the method which comprises dissolving sucralose andsaid defined substance together and drying the solution, as well as themethod in which sucralose and said defined substance are added seriallyor concurrently to the food material in the course of production of thefood.

The sucralose as the substrate for thermal stabilization and inhibitionof discoloration is not particularly restricted in form or mode ofexistence but in view of its properties described hereinbefore,sucralose which is expected to exist in moisture-lean condition (e.g.moisture content: ≦20 weight %, particularly ≦15 weight %), for examplein a solid state; sucralose which will be exposed to low pH conditions;sucralose which will be exposed to rugged heating conditions; andsucralose which will be subjected to long-term storage at elevatedtemperature can be mentioned as the preferred examples of sucralose.

In accordance with the invention, by allowing said defined substance tocoexist with sucralose, the thermal stability of sucralose can beenhanced to impart sufficient heat resistance so that it may withstand aheat treatment in solid state, under low pH conditions, or under ruggedconditions, which would otherwise cause degradation of sweetness anddiscoloration.

IV. Method of Improving the Sweetness of Sucralose

The defined substance mentioned above, when formulated in combinationwith sucralose, not only imparts thermalstability (heat resistance) tosucralose but synergistically improves the intensity of sweetness ofsucralose as well as the quality of sweetness of sucralose.

The present invention provides a novel use of said defined substance,that is to say the use as a sweetness-improving agent for sucralose, anda method of improving the sweetness of sucralose which comprises causingat least one species of said defined substance to coexist withsucralose.

The substance to be caused to coexist with sucralose as saidsweetness-improving agent can also be liberally chosen from among thevarious specific substances mentioned hereinbefore. The preferredsubstances, among them, are compounds having a purine base as aconstituent (nucleosides, nucleotides and salts thereof), organicphosphoric acid compounds, hydroxy acids, hydroxy acid salts,sulfur-containing compounds, saponins, organic acids, organic acidsalts, inorganic salts and amino acids. These may be used eachindependently or in an arbitrary combination of two or more species. Asthe salts referred to above, alkali metal salts such as sodium salts andpotassium salts and alkaline earth metal salts such as calcium salts andmagnesium salts can be mentioned. The preferred salts are sodium salts,potassium salts and calcium salts. More particularly, there can bementioned sodium inosinate, sodium citrate, potassium citrate, calciumcitrate, sodium phytate, potassium phytate, calcium phytate, calciumlactate, methionine, arginine hydrochloride, glycyrrhizin, calciumgluconate, sodium gluconate, and sodium sulfate.

The formulating amount of said defined substance relative to sucralosefor achieving the sweetness-improving effect of the invention is notparticularly restricted but may for example be not less than 0.001 partby weight, preferably not less than 0.01 part by weight, based on eachpart by weight of sucralose. There is no particular limitation on theupper limit from the standpoint of insuring the effect of the invention,although the taste of said defined substance to be used, among othervariables, should be taken into consideration.

The mode of coexistence of sucralose and said defined substance or themanner in which these ingredients are brought into coexistence is notparticularly restricted. Thus, there can be mentioned the method whichcomprises blending a powder of sucralsoe with a powder of said substanceto give a powdery mixture, the method which comprises spraying a powderor granulation of sucralose with a solution containing at least onespecies of said defined substance, the method which conversely comprisesspraying a solution of said substance over a powder or granulation ofsucralose, the method which comprises mix-dispersing sucralose and saidsubstance in a liquid medium to prepare a slurry and extruding thedispersion to prepare a granulation, and the method which comprisesdissolving sucralose and said defined substance together and drying thesolution, as well as the method in which sucralose and said definedsubstance are added serially or concurrently to the food material in thecourse of production of the food.

The sucralose whose sweetness is to be improved is not particularlyrestricted in form or mode of existence: thus it may be in any of solid(powdery, granular, shaped), liquid, semisolid and other forms.

By causing said defined substance to coexist with sucralose inaccordance with the invention, the intensity of sweetness of sucralosecan be synergistically increased and the quality of sweetness improvedat the same time. Therefore, a composition comprising sucralose and saiddefined substance is of value as a high-sweetness sweetener featuring agood quality of sweetness.

EXAMPLES

The following examples illustrate this invention in further detail butare not intended to define the scope of the invention. It is to beunderstood that, in the following examples, all parts and % means partsby weight and % by weight, respectively and further that unlessotherwise indicated, the formulating amounts of ingredients areexpressed in parts by weight.

Example 1

To 1 parts of sucralose (powder) was added sodium inosinate (powder) atthe levels indicated in Table 1 and the resulting mixtures wererespectively made up to 100 parts with dextrin to give powderysucralose-containing compositions (powdery mixtures). Each of thesecompositions was heated in an oven (Perfect Oven; manufactured by TabaiCo.) limited at 120° C. for 1 hour. The sweetness of the resultingsucralose-containing composition was determined to evaluate the thermalstability of sucralose. As control, a sodium inosinate-free compositionexclusively composed of sucralose and dextrin was also evaluated forthermal stability.

To evaluate the thermal stability of sucralose, each test sample(sucralose-containing composition) was diluted in water to a suitableconcentration depending on its sucralose content and the intensity andquality of sweetness of this aqueous solution were evaluated by anorganoleptic test using 20 panelists. The evaluation was made by scoringthe degrees of change in the intensity and quality of sweetness from thecontrol values prior to heating of each test sample (unheated control)according to the following scoring scale (the same applies to thefollowing examples unless otherwise indicated).

Scoring scale No Slight Moderate Significant Marked change change changechange change Degree of sweetness 5 4 3 2 1 Quality of sweetness 5 4 3 21 (mild taste)

TABLE 1 Level Sweetness of sodium inosinate Intensity Quality 0(control) 2 2 0.001 (this invention) 3 4 0.01 (this invention) 4 4 0.1(this invention) 4 4 1 (this invention) 4 4

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in boththe intensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the absence ofsodium inosinate, these reductions were significantly inhibited whensodium inosinate was formulated. These results indicated that both theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose are remarkablystabilized when sodium inosinate was caused to coexist with sucralose.

Example 2

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.1 part of sodium guanylate,sodium adenylate, sodium citidylate or sodium uridylate (all powders),and the mixture was made up to 100 parts with dextrin to give asucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture). This composition washeated in an oven at 120° C. for 1 hour. Each sucralose-containingcomposition thus obtained was tested for sweetness as in Example 1 toevaluate the thermal stability of sucralose. As reference control, acomposition consisting exclusively of sucralose and dextrin as preparedwithout formulating any of the above-mentioned nucleotide salts was alsoevaluated for the thermal stability (no addition control). The resultsare shown in Table 2.

TABLE 2 Nucleotide salt Sweetness Intensity Quality No addition(control) 2 2 Sodium guanylate (this invention) 3 4 Sodium adenylate(this invention) 4 4 Sodium citidylate (this invention) 4 4 Sodiumuridylate (this invention) 4 3

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the absence of anucleotide salt, these reductions were remarkably inhibited when any ofsodium quanylate, sodium adenylate, sodium citidylate and sodiumuridylate was formulated.

The results obtained in Example 1 and Example 2 indicate that both theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose can be remarkablystabilized by causing a nucleotide salt, such as the sodium salt ofinosinic acid, quanylic acid, adenylic acid, citidylic acid or uridylicacid, to coexist with sucralose.

Example 3

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.1 part of hypoxanthine,inosine or sodium inosinate (all powders), and the mixture was made upto 100 parts with dextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition(powdery mixture). This composition was heated in an oven at 120° C. for1 hour and tested for sweetness to evaluate the thermal stability ofsucralose as in Example 1. As reference controls, a comparablecomposition not containing hypoxanthine (control 1) and a comparablecomposition containing the sugar moiety (ribose) of the nucleic acid(control 2) in lieu of above substances were also evaluated for thermalstability. The results are shown in Table 3.

TABLE 3 Sweetness Intensity Quality No addition (control 1) 2 2 Ribose(control 2) 2 2 Hypoxenthine (this invention) 4 3 Inosine (thisinvention) 4 3 Sodium inosinate (this invention) 4 4

Thus, heating caused significant reductions in both the intensity andquality of sweetness of sucralose in the case of no addition (control 1)and these reductions could not be inhibited by formulating ribose whichis the sugar moiety of the nucleic acid (control 2). However, whenhypoxanthine which is the purine base of a nucleotide, inosine which isa nucleoside having, a purine base, or the sodium salt of inosinic acidwhich is a nucleotide, said decreases could be remarkably inhibited.These results indicate that the base of a nucleotide, a nucleosidecontaining the base, and a nucleotide has a marked stabilizing effect onsucralose.

Example 4

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.1 part of sodium inosinate(powder), and the mixture was made up to 100 parts with dextrin to givea sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture). This compositionwas divided into 3 portions and one of the portions was used as it wasas a sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture), another portionwas dissolved in water and spray-dried (spray-dried composition), andthe remaining portion was dissolved in water and dried in a drum dryer(drum-dried composition). As control, a sodium inosinate-freesucralose-containing composition was prepared (powdery mixture). Each ofthese compositions was heated in an oven at 130° C. for 1 hour, and bythe procedure described in Example 1, the sweetness of the compositionwas determined to evaluate the thermal stability of sucralose. Theresults are shown in Table 4.

TABLE 4 Classification by process of composition Sweetness IntensityQuality Powdery mixture (control: without sodium 2 2 inosinatel) Powderymixture (this invention) 4 3 Spray-dried composition (this invention) 55 Drum-dried composition (this invention) 4 4

It was found that regardless of the production process used, formulationof sucralose and sodium inosinate together resulted in a significantinhibition of the thermal degradation of sucralose in terms of theintensity and quality of sweetness so that the composition showed veryhigh thermal stability (resistance to heat). Among the compositionstested, the sucralose-containing composition prepared by thespray-drying process and that prepared by the drum-drying processdisplayed more outstanding thermal stability.

Example 5

A syrup prepared by blending 100 parts of palatinit, 30 parts of water,0.2 part of sucralose and 0.016 part of sodium inosinate was boiled downat 150° C. to give a hard candy (a product of the invention). Areference hard candy (control) was also prepared by the same procedureexcept that sodium inosinate was not formulated. Each of the candiesthus obtained was dissolved and diluted in water to a finalconcentration of 50 weight % solids and the sweetness (intensity,quality) of the resulting syrup was compared with the control 50 weight% dilution of the sodium inosinate-free syrup of otherwise the samecomposition (unheated) to evaluate the stabilizing effect of sodiuminosinate on sucralose against heat. The results are shown in Table 5.

TABLE 5 Sweetness Intensity Quality Without sodium inosinate (control) 22 With sodium inosinate (this invention) 5 5

Whereas the hard candy (control) prepared without addition of sodiuminosinate showed significant reductions in both the intensity andquality of sweetness, the hard candy prepared with addition of sodiuminosinate according to this invention showed no thermal degration ofsweetness but retained a very satisfactory sweetness. This resultindicates that by causing sodium inosinate, i.e. a nucleotide salt, tocoexist with sucralose, the sucralose can be stabilized even againstintense heat under moisture-lean conditions, thus being enabled toretain a satisfactory sweetness (intensity and quality).

Example 6

To a composition consisting of 100 parts of soft flour, 45 parts ofreduced starch syrup, 0.6 part of sodium bicarbonate, 50 parts ofmargarine, 10 parts of egg yolk, 0.4 part of flavor and 0.02 part ofsucralose was added 0.002 part of sodium guanylate and, after thoroughmixing, the resulting batter was spread and baked in an oven at 170° C.for 40 minutes to give a cookie of the invention (this invention). Areference cookie (control) was also prepared in the same manner as aboveexcept that sodium guanylate was not formulated. With the intensity andquality of sweetness of the sodium guanyulate-containing cookie thusobtained (this invention) being scored as 5 each, the intensity andquality of sweetness of the sodium guanylate-free cookie (control) wererated to evaluate the stabilizing effect of sodium guanylate onsucralose against heat. The results are shown in Table 6.

TABLE 6 Sweetness Intensity Quality Without sodium guanylate (control) 33 With sodium guanylate (this invention) 5 5

Whereas the cookie prepared without addition of sodium guanylatedeteriorated in both the intensity and quality of sweetness, the cookieprepared with addition of sodium guanylate according to this inventionwas found to retain the satisfactory sweetness as expected, indicativeof good thermal stability.

Example 7

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added quercitrin (powder) at thelevels indicated in Table 7, and each mixture was made up to 100 partswith dextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition (powderymixture). Each of these compositions was heated in an oven at 120° C.for 1 hour and its sweetness was tested as in Example 1 to evaluate thestabilizing effect on sucralose against heat. The results are also shownin Table 7.

TABLE 7 Level of quercitrin Sweetness Intensity Quality 0 (control) 2 20.001 (this invention) 3 4 0.01 (this invention) 4 4 0.1 (thisinvention) 4 4 1 (this invention) 4 4

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the absence ofquercitrin, addition of quercitrin resulted in a significant inhibitionof such reductions. These results indicate that by allowing quercitrinto coexist with sucralose, the intensity and quality of sweetness ofsucralose can both be remarkably stabilized.

Example 8

To sucralose (powder) was added 0.1 part each of methylhesperidin, redcabbage color (flavonoid color) or beet red (betacyanine color) (allpowders), and each mixture was made up to 100 parts with dextrin to givea sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture). This compositionwas heated in an oven at 120° C. for 1 hour and its sweetness wasdetermined as in Example 1 to evaluate the thermal stabilizing effect onsucralose. The results are shown in Table 8.

TABLE 8 Sweetness Intensity Quality No addition (control) 2 2Methylhesperidin (this invention) 3 4 Beet red (this invention) 4 4 Redcabbage color (this invention) 4 4

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in boththe intensity and quality of sweetness in the case of no addition, thesereductions were significantly inhibited when methylhesperidin, redcabbage color or beet red was formulated.

The results obtained in Examples 7 and 8 indicate that flavonoids andflavonoid glydosides, such as quercitrin, methylhesperidin, red cabbagecolor, etc. as well as beet red (a betacyanine color) have the propertyto stabilize both the intensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose(thermal-stabilizing activity, heat resistance-imparting activity).

Example 9

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.1 part of myristolein(powder), and the mixture was made up to 100 parts with dextrin to givea sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture). This compositionwas divided into 3 portions and one of the portions was used as it wasas a sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture), another portionwas dissolved in water and spray-dried (spray-dried composition), andthe remaining portion was dissolved in water and dried in a drum dryer(drum-dried composition). As control, a myristolein-freesucralose-containing composition was prepared (powdery mixture). Each ofthese compositions was heated in an oven at 130° C. for 1 hour, and bythe procedure described in Example 1, the sweetness of the compositionwas determined to evaluate the thermal stability of sucralose. Theresults are shown in Table 9.

TABLE 9 Classification by process of composition Sweetness IntensityQuality Powdery mixture (control: without 2 2 myristolein) Powderymixture (this invention) 4 3 Spray-dried composition (this invention) 55 Drum-dried composition (this invention) 4 4

It was found that regardless of the production process used, formulationof sucralose and myristolein together resulted in a significantinhibition of the thermal degradation of sucralose in terms of theintensity and quality of sweetness so that the composition showed veryhigh thermal stability (resistance to heat). Among the compositionstested, the sucralose-containing composition prepared by thespray-drying process and that prepared by the drum-drying processdisplayed more outstanding thermal stability.

Example 10

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added tannic acid (powder) at thelevels indicated in Table 10, and each mixture was made up to 100 partswith dextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition (powderymixture). Each of these compositions was heated in an oven at 120° C.for 1 hour and its sweetness was tested as in Example 1 to evaluate thestabilizing effect on sucralose against heat. The results are also shownin Table 10.

TABLE 10 Level of tannic acid Sweetness Intensity Quality 0 (control) 22 0.001 (this invention) 3 4 0.01 (this invention) 4 4 0.1 (thisinvention) 4 4 1 (this invention) 4 4

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the absence of tannicacid, addition of tannic acid resulted in a significant inhibition ofsuch reductions. These results indicate that by allowing tannic acid tocoexist with sucralose, the intensity and quality of sweetness ofsucralose can both be remarkably stabilized.

Example 11

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.1 part of gallic acid orcoffeic acid (each powder), and the mixture was made up to 100 partswith dextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition (powderymixture). This composition was heated in an oven at 120° C. for 1 hourand, then, tested for sweetness as in Example 1 to evaluate the thermalstability of sucralose. The results are shown in Table 11.

TABLE 11 Sweetness Intensity Quality No addition (control) 2 2 Gallicacid (this invention) 3 4 Caffeic acid (this invention) 4 4

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the case of noaddition, these reductions were remarkably inhibited when gallic acid orcoffeic acid was formulated.

The results obtained in Examples 10 and 11 indicate that polyphenolssuch as tannic acid, gallic acid and coffeic acid have the property tostabilize both the intensity and quality of sucralose.

Example 12

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.1 part of gallic acid(powder), and the mixture was made up to 100 parts with dextrin to givea sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture). This compositionwas divided into 3 portions and one of the portions was used as it wasas a sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture), another portionwas dissolved in water and spray-dried (spray-dried composition), andthe remaining portion was dissolved in water and dried in a drum dryer(drum-dried composition). As control, sucralose-containing compositionwas prepared by the same procedure except that gallic acid was notformulated (powdery mixture). Each of these compositions was heated inan oven at 130° C. for 1 hour, and by the procedure described in Example1, the sweetness of the composition was determined to evaluate thethermal stability of sucralose. The results are shown in Table 12.

TABLE 12 Classification by process of composition Sweetness IntensityQuality Powdery mixture (control: without 2 2 gallic acid) Powderymixture (this invention) 4 3 Spray-dried composition (this invention) 55 Drum-dried composition (this invention) 5 4

It was found that regardless of the production process used, formulationof sucralose and gallic acid resulted in a significant inhibition of thethermal degradation of sucralose in terms of the intensity and qualityof sweetness so that the composition showed very high thermal stability(resistance to heat). Among the compositions tested, thesucralose-containing composition prepared by the spray-drying processand that prepared by the drum-drying process displayed more outstandingthermal stability.

Example 13

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added sodium phytate (powder) at thelevels indicated in Table 13 and the resulting mixtures wererespectively made up to 100 parts with dextrin to givesucralose-containing powdery compositions (powdery mixtures). Each ofthese compositions was heated in an oven at 120° C. for 1 hour. Thesweetness of the resulting sucralose-containing composition wasdetermined to evaluate the thermal stability of sucralose. The resultsare shown in Table 13.

TABLE 13 Level of addition (parts by weight) Sweetness Intensity Quality0 (control) 2 2 0.001 (this invention) 3 4 0.01 (this invention) 4 4 0.1(this invention) 4 4 1 (this invention) 4 4

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the absence of sodiumphytate, these decreases were significantly inhibited when sodiumphytate was added. The above results indicate that causing sodiumphytate to coexist with sucralose results in a marked stabilization ofsucralose in terms of the intensity and quality of sweetness.

Example 14

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.1 part of sodiumglycerophosphate (powder) or sodium riboflavin-phosphate (powder), andthe mixture was made up to 100 parts with dextrin to give asucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture). This composition washeated in an oven at 120° C. for 1 hour and tested for sweetness toevaluate the thermal stability of sucralose as in Example 1. The resultsare shown in Table 14.

TABLE 14 Sweetness Intensity Quality No addition (control) 2 2 Sodiumglycerophosphate (this invention) 4 4 Sodium riboflavin-phosphate (thisinvention) 4 3

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sucralose in the case of no addition, thesereductions were remarkably inhibited when sodium glycerophosphate orsodium riboflavin-phosphate was added.

The results obtained in Examples 13 and 14 indicate that causing sodiumphytate or an organic phosphoric acid compound such as sodiumglycerophosphate or sodium riboflavin-phosphate results in a markedstabilization of sucralose in terms of the intensity and quality ofsweetness.

Example 15

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.1 part of sodiumglycerophosphate (powder), and the mixture was made up to 100 parts withdextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture).This composition was divided into 3 portions and one of the portions wasused as it was as a sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture),another portion was dissolved in water and spray-dried (spray-driedcomposition), and the remaining portion was dissolved in water and driedin a drum dryer (drum-dried composition). As control, a sodiumglycerophosphate-free sucralose-containing composition was prepared(powdery mixture). Each of these compositions was heated in an oven at130° C. for 1 hour, and by the procedure described in Example 1, thesweetness of the composition was determined to evaluate the thermalstability of sucralose. The results are shown in Table 15.

TABLE 15 Classification by process of composition Sweetness IntensityQuality Powdery mixture (control: without 2 2 sodium glycerophosphate)Powdery mixture (this invention) 3 3 Spray-dried composition (thisinvention) 5 5 Drum-dried composition (this invention) 4 4

It was found that regardless of the production process used, formulationof sucralose and sodium glycerophosphate together resulted in asignificant inhibition of the thermal degradation of sucralose in termsof the intensity and quality of sweetness so that the composition showedvery high thermal stability (resistance to heat). Among the compositionstested, the sucralose-containing composition prepared by thespray-drying process and that prepared by the drum-drying processdisplayed more outstanding thermal stability.

Example 16

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.1 part of glutathione,cysteine or indigo carmine (all powders), and the mixture was made up to100 parts with dextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition(powdery mixture). This composition was heated in an oven at 120° C. for1 hour and, then, tested for sweetness as in Example 1 to evaluate thethermal stability of sucralose. The results are shown in Table 16.

TABLE 16 Sweetness Intensity Quality No addition (control) 2 2Glutathione (this invention) 4 4 Cysteine (this invention) 4 3 Indigocarmine (this invention) 4 4

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness in the case of no addition, thesereductions were significantly inhibited when glutathione, cysteine orindigo carmine was formulated.

Example 17

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.1 part of methionine(powder), and the mixture was made up to 100 parts with dextrin to givea sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture). This compositionwas divided into 3 portions and one of these portions was used as it wasas a sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture), another portionwas dissolved in water and spray-dried (spray-dried composition), andthe remaining portion was dissolved in water and dried in a drum dryer(drum-dried composition). As control, a methionine-freesucralose-containing composition was prepared. (powdery mixture). Eachof these compositions was heated in an oven at 130° C. for 1 hour, andby the procedure described in Example 1, the sweetness of thecomposition was determined to evaluate the thermal stability ofsucralose. The results are shown in Table 17.

TABLE 17 Classification by process of composition Sweetness IntensityQuality Powdery mixture (control: without 2 2 methionine) Powderymixture (this invention) 3 3 Spray-dried composition (this invention) 55 Drum-dried composition (this invention) 4 4

It was found that regardless of the production process used, formulationof sucralose and methionine together resulted in a significantinhibition of the thermal degradation of sucralose in terms of theintensity and quality of sweetness so that the composition showed veryhigh thermal stability (resistance to heat). Among the compositionstested, the sucralose-containing composition prepared by thespray-drying process and that prepared by the drum-drying processdisplayed more outstanding thermal stability.

The results obtained in Examples 16, and 17 indicate thatsulfur-containing compounds such as glutathione, cysteine, indigocarmine and methionine have the property to stabilize both the intensityand quality of sweetness of sucralose (thermal stabilizing activity,heat resistance-imparting activity).

Example 18

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added calcium lactate (powder) atthe levels indicated in Table 18, and each mixture was made up to 100parts with dextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition (powderymixture). This composition was heated in an oven at 120° C. for 1 hourand, then, tested for sweetness as in Example 1 to evaluate the thermalstability of sucralose. The results are shown in Table 18.

TABLE 18 Level of addition (parts by weight) Sweetness Intensity Quality0 (control) 2 2 0.001 (this invention) 3 4 0.01 (this invention) 4 4 0.1(this invention) 4 4 1 (this invention) 4 4

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the absence ofcalcium lactate, these reductions were significantly inhibited whencalcium lactate was formulated. The above results indicate that bycausing calcium lactate to coexist with sucralose, the intensity andquality of sweetness of sucralose can both be remarkably stabilized.

Example 19

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.1 part of sodium gluconate,sodium tartrate, sodium malate, or sodium citrate (all powders), and themixture was made up to 100 parts with dextrin to give asucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture). This composition washeated in an oven at 120° C. for 1 hour and, then, tested for sweetnessas in Example 1 to evaluate the thermal stability of sucralose. Theresults are shown in Table 19.

TABLE 19 Sweetness Intensity Quality No addition (control) 2 2 Sodiumgluconate (this invention) 4 4 Sodium tartrate (this invention) 4 3Sodium malate (this invention) 4 4 Sodium citrate (this invention) 3 3

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the case of noaddition, these decreases were remarkably inhibited when the sodium saltof gluconic acid, tartaric acid, malic acid or citric acid wasformulated.

The results obtained in Examples 18 and 19 indicate that by causing thesalt of a hydroxyl acid such as lactic acid, gluconic acid, tartaricacid, malic acid or citric acid to coexist with sucralose, the intensityand quality of sweetness of sucralose can be remarkably stabilized.

Example 20

To 1 part of sucralose was added 0.1 part of sodium lactate, and themixture was made up to 100 parts with dextrin to give asucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture). This composition wasdivided into 3 portions and one of the portions was used as it was as asucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture) another portion wasdissolved in water and spray-dried (spray-dried composition), and theremaining portion was dissolved in water and dried in a drum dryer(drum-dried composition). As control, a sodium lactate-freesucralose-containing composition was prepared (powdery mixture). Each ofthese compositions was heated in an oven at 130° C. for 1 hour, and bythe procedure described in Example 1, the sweetness of the compositionwas determined to evaluate the thermal stability of sucralose. Theresults are shown in Table 20.

TABLE 20 Classification by process of composition Sweetness IntensityQuality Powdery mixture (control: without 2 2 sodium lactate) Powderymixture (this invention) 3 3 Spray-dried composition (this invention) 55 Drum-dried composition (this invention) 4 4

It was found that regardless of the production process used, formulationof sucralose and sodium lactate together resulted in a significantinhibition of the thermal degradation of sucralose in terms of theintensity and quality of sweetness so that the composition showed veryhigh thermal stability (resistance to heat). Among the compositionstested, the sucralose-containing composition prepared by thespray-drying process and that prepared by the drum-drying processdisplayed more outstanding thermal stability.

Example 21

To 1 part of sucralose was added sesamol at the levels indicated inTable 21, and each mixture was made up to 100 parts with dextrin to givea sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture). This compositionwas heated in an oven at 120° C. for 1 hour and, then, tested forsweetness as in Example 1 to evaluate the thermal stability ofsucralose. The results are shown in Table 21.

TABLE 21 Level of addition (parts by weight) Sweetness Intensity Quality0 (control) 2 2 0.001 (this invention) 3 4 0.01 (this invention) 4 4 0.1(this invention) 4 4 1 (this invention) 4 4

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the absence ofsesamol, these reductions were significantly inhibited when sesamol wasformulated. The above results indicate that by causing sesamol tocoexist with sucralose, the intensity and quality of sweetness ofsucralose can both be remarkably stabilized.

Example 22

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.1 part of sesamin orsesaminol (all powders), and the mixture was made up to 100 parts withdextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture).This composition was heated in an oven at 120° C. for 1 hour and, then,tested for sweetness as in Example 1 to evaluate the thermal stabilityof sucralose. The results are shown in Table 22.

TABLE 22 Sweetness Intensity Quality No addition (control) 2 2 Sesamin(this invention) 4 4 Sesaminol (this invention) 4 3

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the case of noaddition, these reductions were remarkably inhibited when the sesamin orsesaminol was formulated.

The results obtained in Examples 21 and 22 indicate that by causing alignan such as sesamol, sesamin or sesaminol to coexist with sucralose,both the intensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose can beremarkably stabilized.

Example 23

To 1 part of sucralose was added carotene (powder) at the levelsindicated in Table 23, and each mixture was made up to 100 parts withdextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture).This composition was heated in an oven at 120° C. for 1 hour and, then,tested for sweetness as in Example 1 to evaluate the thermal stabilityof sucralose. The results are shown in Table 23.

TABLE 23 Level of addition (parts by weight) Sweetness Intensity Quality0 (control) 2 2 0.001 (this invention) 3 4 0.01 (this invention) 4 4 0.1(this invention) 4 4 1 (this invention) 4 4

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the absence ofcarotene, these reductions were significantly inhibited when carotenewas formulated. The above results indicate that by causing carotene tocoexist with sucralose, the intensity and quality of sweetness ofsucralose can both be remarkably stabilized.

Example 24

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.1 part of lycopene orgardenia yellow (all powders), and the mixture was made up to 100 partswith dextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition (powderymixture). This composition was heated in an oven at 120° C. for 1 hourand, then, tested for sweetness as in Example 1 to evaluate the thermalstability of sucralose. The results are shown in Table 24.

TABLE 24 Sweetness Intensity Quality No addition (control) 2 2 Lycopene(this invention) 4 4 Gardenia yellow (this invention) 4 3

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in boththe intensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the case of noaddition, these decreases were remarkably inhibited when the lycopene orgardenia yellow was formulated.

The results obtained in Examples 23 and 24 indicate that by causing acarotenoid or a glycoside thereof, such as carotene, lycopene orgardenia yellow, to coexist with sucralose, both the intensity andquality of sweetness of sucralose could be remarkably stabilized.

Example 25

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.1 part of carotene (powder),and the mixture was made up to 100 parts with dextrin to give asucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture). This composition wasdivided into 3 portions and one of these portions was used as it was asa sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture), another portionwas dissolved in water and spray-dried (spray-dried composition), andthe remaining portion was dissolved in water and dried in a drum dryer(drum-dried composition). As control, a carotene-freesucralose-containing composition was prepared (powdery mixture). Each ofthese compositions was heated in an oven at 130° C. for 1 hour, and bythe procedure described in Example 1, the sweetness of the compositionwas determined to evaluate the thermal stability of sucralose. Theresults are shown in Table 25.

TABLE 25 Classification by process of composition Sweetness IntensityQuality Powdery mixture (control: without 2 2 carotene) Powdery mixture(this invention) 3 3 Spray-dried composition (this invention) 5 5Drum-dried composition (this invention) 4 4

It was found that regardless of the production process used, formulationof sucralose and carotene together resulted in a significant inhibitionof the thermal degradation of sucralose in terms of the intensity andquality of sweetness so that the composition showed very high thermalstability (resistance to heat). Among the compositions tested, thesucralose-containing composition prepared by the spray-drying processand that prepared by the drum-drying process displayed more outstandingthermal stability.

Example 26

To 1 part of sucralose was added adl-α-tocopherol powder (adjusted to 50in dextrin; product of San-Ei Gen F.F.I., Co.) at the levels indicatedin Table 26, and the mixture was made up to 100 parts with dextrin togive a sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture). Thiscomposition was heated in an oven at 120° C. for 1 hour and, then,tested for sweetness to evaluate the thermal stability of sucralose. Theresults are shown in Table 26.

TABLE 26 Level of addition (parts by weight) Sweetness Intensity Quality0 (control) 2 2 0.001 (this invention) 3 4 0.01 (this invention) 4 4 0.1(this invention) 4 4 1 (this invention) 4 4

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the absence oftocopherol, these reductions were significantly inhibited whentocopherol was formulated. The above results indicate that by causingtocopherol to coexist with sucralose, the intensity and quality ofsweetness of sucralose can both be remarkably stabilized.

Example 27

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.1 part of a d-β-tocopherolpowder or a d-γ-tocopherol powder (each adjusted to 50% in dextrin; bothproducts of San-Ei Gen F.F.I., Co.), and the mixture was made up to 100parts with dextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition (powderymixture). This composition was heated in an oven at 120° C. for 1 hourand, then, tested for sweetness as in Example 1 to evaluate the thermalstability of sucralose. The results are shown in Table 27.

TABLE 27 Sweetness Intensity Quality No addition (control) 2 2d-β-tocopherol (this invention) 4 4 d-γ-tocopherol (this invention) 4 3

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the case of noaddition, these reductions were remarkably inhibited when β-tocopherolor γ-tocopherol was formulated.

The results obtained in Examples 27 and 28 indicate that by causingtocopherol, such as α-, β- or γ-tocopherol, to coexist with sucralose,the intensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose can both beremarkably stabilized.

Example 28

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.1 part of a d1-tocopherolacetate powder (adjusted to 50% in dextrin; product of SanEigen FFICo.), and the mixture was made up to 100 parts with dextrin to give asucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture). This composition wasdivided into 3 portions and one of the portions was used as it was as asucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture), another portion wasdissolved in water and spray-dried (spray-dried composition), and theremaining portion was dissolved in water and dried in a drum dryer(drum-dried composition). As control, a tocopherol-freesucralose-containing composition was prepared (powdery mixture). Each ofthese compositions was heated in an oven at 130° C. for 1 hour, and bythe procedure described in Example 1, the sweetness of the compositionwas determined to evaluate the thermal stability of sucralose. Theresults are shown in Table 28.

TABLE 28 Classification by process of composition Sweetness IntensityQuality Powdery mixture (control: without 2 2 tocopherol) Powderymixture (this invention) 3 3 Spray-dried composition (this invention) 55 Drum-dried composition (this invention) 4 4

It was found that regardless of the production process used, formulationof sucralose and tocopherol together resulted in a significantinhibition of the thermal degradation of sucralose in terms of theintensity and quality of sweetness so that the composition showed veryhigh thermal stability (resistance to heat). Among the compositionstested, the sucralose-containing composition prepared by thespray-drying process and that prepared by the drum-drying processdisplayed more outstanding thermal stability.

Example 29

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added glycyrrhizin (powder) at thelevels indicated in Table 29, and the mixture was made up to 100 partswith dextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition (powderymixture). This composition was heated in an oven at 120° C. for 1 hourand, then, tested for sweetness as in Example 1 to evaluate the thermalstability of sucralose. The results are shown in Table 29.

TABLE 29 Level of addition (parts by weight) Sweetness Intensity Quality0 (control) 2 2 0.001 (this invention) 3 4 0.01 (this invention) 4 4 0.1(this invention) 4 4 1 (this invention) 4 4

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the absence ofglycyrrhizin, these reductions were significantly inhibited whenglycyrrhizin was formulated. The above results indicate that by causingglycyrrhizin, which is a saponin, to coexist with sucralose, theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose can both be remarkablystabilized.

Example 30

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added sodium succinate (powder) atthe levels indicated in Table 30, and the mixture was made up to 100parts with dextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition (powderymixture). This composition was heated in an oven at 120° C. for 1 hourand, then, tested for sweetness as in Example 1 to evaluate the thermalstability of sucralose. The results are shown in Table 30.

TABLE 30 Level of addition (parts by weight) Sweetness Intensity Quality0 (control) 2 2 0.001 (this invention) 3 4 0.01 (this invention) 4 4 0.1(this invention) 4 4 1 (this invention) 4 4

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the absence of sodiumsuccinate, these reductions were significantly inhibited when sodiumsuccinate was formulated. The above results indicate that by causingsodium succinate to coexist with sucralose, both the intensity andquality of sweetness of sucralose can be remarkably stabilized.

Example 31

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.1 part of sodium acetate orsodium fumarate (both powders), and the mixture was made up to 100 partswith dextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition (powderymixture). This composition was heated in an oven at 120° C. for 1 hourand, then, tested for sweetness as in Example 1 to evaluate the thermalstability of sucralose. The results are shown in Table 31.

TABLE 31 Sweetness Intensity Quality No addition (control) 2 2 Sodiumacetate (this invention) 3 3 Sodium fumarate (this invention) 4 3

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the case of noaddition, these reductions were remarkably inhibited when sodium acetateor sodium fumarate was formulated.

The results obtained in Examples 30 and 31 indicate that by causing thesodium salt of an organic acid such as succinic acid, acetic acid orfumaric acid to coexist with sucralose, both the intensity and qualityof sweetness of sucralose could be remarkably stabilized.

Example 32

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.1 part of sodium acetate(powder), and the mixture was made up to 100 parts with dextrin to givea sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture). This compositionwas divided into 3 portions and one of these portions was used as it wasas a sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture), another portionwas dissolved in water and spray-dried (spray-dried composition), andthe remaining portion was dissolved in water and dried in a drum dryer(drum-dried composition). As control, sodium acetate-freesucralose-containing composition was prepared (powdery mixture). Each ofthese compositions was heated in an oven at 130° C. for 1 hour, and bythe procedure described in Example 1, the sweetness of the compositionwas determined to evaluate the thermal stability of sucralose. Theresults are shown in Table 32.

TABLE 32 Classification by process Sweetness of composition IntensityQuality Powdery mixture (control: without 2 2 sodium acetate) Powderymixture (this invention) 3 3 Spray-dried composition (this invention) 45 Drum-dried composition (this invention) 4 3

It was found that regardless of the production process used, formulationof sucralose and sodium acetate together resulted in a significantinhibition of the thermal degradation of sucralose in terms of theintensity and quality of sweetness so that the composition showed veryhigh thermal stability (resistance to heat). Among the compositionstested, the sucralose-containing composition prepared by thespray-drying process and that prepared by the drum-drying processdisplayed more outstanding thermal stability.

Example 33

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.05 part of disodiumhydrogenphosphate (powder), and the mixture was made up to 100 partswith dextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition (powderymixture). This composition was divided into 3 portions and one of theseportions was used as it was as a sucralose-containing composition(powdery mixture), another portion was dissolved in water andspray-dried (spray-dried composition), and the remaining portion wasdissolved in water and dried in a drum dryer (drum-dried composition).As control, a disodium hydrogenphosphate-free sucralose-containingcomposition was prepared (powdery mixture). Each of these compositionswas heated in an oven at 130° C. for 1 hour, and by the proceduredescribed in Example 1, the sweetness of the composition was determinedto evaluate the thermal stability of sucralose. The results are shown inTable 33.

TABLE 33 Classification by process Sweetness of composition IntensityQuality Powdery mixture (control: without 2 2 disodiumhydrogenphosphate) Powdery mixture (this invention) 3 3 Spray-driedcomposition (this invention) 4 5 Drum-dried composition (this invention)4 4

It was found that regardless of the production process used, formulationof sucralose and disodium hydrogenphosphate, which is an inorganic acidsalt, together resulted in a significant inhibition of the thermaldegradation of sucralose in terms of the intensity and quality ofsweetness so that the composition showed very high thermal stability(resistance to heat). Among the compositions tested, thesucralose-containing composition prepared by the spray-drying processand that prepared by the drum-drying process displayed more outstandingthermal stability.

Example 34

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.05 part of argininehydrochloride (powder), and the mixture was made up to 100 parts withdextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture).This composition was divided into 3 portions and one of these portionswas used as it was as a sucralose-containing composition (powderymixture), another portion was dissolved in water and spray-dried(spray-dried composition), and the remaining portion was dissolved inwater and dried in a drum dryer (drum-dried composition). As control, anarginine hydrochloride-free sucralose-containing composition wasprepared (powdery mixture). Each of these compositions was heated in anoven at 130° C. for 1 hour, and by the procedure described in Example 1,the sweetness of the composition was determined to evaluate the thermalstability of sucralose. The results are shown in Table 34.

TABLE 34 Classification by process Sweetness of composition IntensityQuality Powdery mixture (control: without 2 2 arginine hydrochloride)Powdery mixture (this invention) 3 3 Spray-dried composition (thisinvention) 5 4 Drum-dried composition (this invention) 4 4

It was found that regardless of the production process used, formulationof sucralose and arginine hydrochloride, which is an amino acid salt,together resulted in a significant inhibition of the thermal degradationof sucralose in terms of the intensity and quality of sweetness so thatthe composition showed very high thermal stability (resistance to heat).Among the compositions tested, the sucralose-containing compositionprepared by the spray-drying process and that prepared by thedrum-drying process displayed more outstanding thermal stability.

Example 35

To 10 parts of sucralose (powder) was added 0.5 part of disodiumhydrogenphosphate (powder), and 0.5 part of either argininehydrochloride or sodium inosinate (each powder) was further formulatedas shown in Table 35. Each mixture was made up to 100 parts withpalatinit to give a sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture).Each of the compositions thus obtained was heated in an oven at 100° C.for 1 hour and, then, tested for sweetness as in Example 1 to evaluatethe thermal stability of sucralose. As control, a compositionexclusively consisting of sucralose and palatinit was also evaluated forthermal stability in the same manner. The results are shown in Table 35.

TABLE 35 Sweetness Components Intensity Quality Sucralose + palatinit(control) 2 2 Sucralose + Na₂HPO₄ + palatinit (this invention) 3 3Sucralose + Na₂HPO₄ + arginine HCl + 5 4 palatinit (this invention)Sucralose + Na₂HPO₄ + sodium inosinate + 4 5 palatinit (this invention)

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose when only palatinit hadbeen formulated, these reductions were significantly inhibited whendisodium hydrogenphosphate was added. This thermal stabilizing effect ofdisodium hydrogenphosphate on sucralose was potentiated by theconcomitant formulation of arginine hydrochloride or sodium inosinate,which resulted in a marked stabilization of sucralose in both theintensity and quality of sweetness.

Example 36

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added caffeine (powder) at thelevels indicated in Table 36, and each mixture was made up to 100 partswith dextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition (powderymixture). This composition was heated in an oven at 100° C for 1 hourand, then, tested for sweetness as in Example 1 to evaluate the thermalstability of sucralose. The results are shown in Table 36.

TABLE 36 Level of addition Sweetness (parts by weight) Intensity Quality   0 (control) 2 2 0.001 (this invention) 3 3  0.01 (this invention) 4 3 0.1 (this invention) 4 4    1 (this invention) 4 3    3 (thisinvention) 4 4

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the absence ofcaffeine, these reductions were significantly inhibited when caffeinewas formulated. The above results indicate that by causing caffeine tocoexist with sucralose, the intensity and quality of sweetness ofsucralose can both be remarkably stabilized.

Example 37

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added 0.1 part of nicotinamide(powder), and the mixture was made up to 100 parts with dextrin to givea sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture). This compositionwas divided into 3 portions and one of the portions was used as it wasas a sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture), another portionwas dissolved in water and spray-dried (spray-dried composition), andthe remaining portion was dissolved in water and dried in a drum dryer(drum-dried composition). As control, a nicotinamide-freesucralose-containing composition was prepared (powdery mixture). Each ofthese compositions was heated in an oven at 110° C. for 1 hour, and bythe procedure described in Example 1, the sweetness of the compositionwas determined to evaluate the thermal stability of sucralose. Theresults are shown in Table 37.

TABLE 37 Classification by process Sweetness of composition IntensityQuality Powdery mixture (control: without 2 2 nicotinamide) Powderymixture (this invention) 3 3 Spray-dried composition (this invention) 44 Drum-dried composition (this invention) 4 4

It was found that regardless of the production process used, formulationof sucralose and nicotinamide together resulted in a significantinhibition of the thermal degradation of sucralose in terms of theintensity and quality of sweetness so that the composition showed veryhigh thermal stability (resistance to heat). Among the compositionstested, the sucralose-containing composition prepared by thespray-drying process and that prepared by the drum-drying processdisplayed more outstanding thermal stability.

The results obtained in Examples 36 and 37 indicate that by causing abasic substance, such as caffeine or nicotinamide, to coexist withsucralose, the intensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose can bothbe remarkably stabilized.

Example 38

To 10 parts of sucralose (powder) was added 1 part of nicotinamide(powder), and 1 part of either calcium lactate or sodium inosinate (eachpowder) was further formulated as shown in Table 38. Each mixture wasmade up to 100 parts with palatinit to give a sucralose-containingcomposition (powdery mixture). Each of the compositions thus obtainedwas heated in an oven at 100° C. for 1 hour and, then, tested forsweetness as in Example 1 to evaluate the thermal stability ofsucralose. As control, a composition exclusively consisting of sucraloseand palatinit was also tested for thermal stability in the same manner.The results are shown in Table 38.

TABLE 38 Sweetness Components Intensity Quality Sucralose + palatinit(control) 2 2 Sucralose + nicotinamide + palatinit 4 3 (this invention)Sucralose + nicotinamide + calcium 5 4 lactate + palatinit (thisinvention) Sucralose + nicotinamide + sodium inosinate + 5 4 palatinit(this invention)

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the case where onlypalatinit was formulated, these reductions were significantly inhibitedwhen nicotinamide was added. This thermal stabilizing effect ofnicotinamide on sucralose was potentiated by the concomitant formulationof calcium lactate or sodium inosinate, which resulted in a markedstabilization of sucralose in both the intensity and quality ofsweetness.

Example 39

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added EDTA disodium (powder) at thelevels indicated in Table 39, and each mixture was made up to 100 partswith dextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition (powderymixture). This composition was heated in an oven at 100° C. for 1 hourand, then, tested for sweetness as in Example 1 to evaluate the thermalstability of sucralose. The results are shown in Table 39.

TABLE 39 Level of addition Sweetness (parts by weight) Intensity Quality0 (control) 2 2 1 (this invention) 4 3 3 (this invention) 4 4

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the absence of EDTAdisodium, these reductions were significantly inhibited when EDTAdisodium was formulated. The above results indicate that by causing achelating agent such as EDTA disodium to coexist with sucralose, theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose can both be considerablystabilized.

Example 40

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added melanoidin (powder) at thelevels indicated in Table 40, and each mixture was made up to 100 partswith dextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition (powderymixture) These compositions were heated in an oven at 100° C. for 1 hourand, then, tested for sweetness as in Example 1 to evaluate the thermalstability of sucralose. The results are shown in Table 40.

TABLE 40 Level of addition Sweetness (parts by weight) Intensity Quality0 (control) 2 2 1 (this invention) 4 4 3 (this invention) 4 4

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the absence ofmelanoidine, these reductions were significantly inhibited whenmelanoidine was formulated. The above results indicate that by causingmelanoidine to coexist with sucralose, the intensity and quality ofsweetness of sucralose can both be remarkably stabilized.

Example 41

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added glucoreducton (powder) at thelevels indicated in Table 41, and each mixture was made up to 100 partswith dextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition (powderymixture). This composition was heated in an oven at 100° C. for 1 hourand, then, tested for sweetness as in Example 1 to evaluate the thermalstability of sucralose. The results are shown in Table 41.

TABLE 41 Level of addition Sweetness (parts by weight) Intensity Quality0 (control) 2 2 1 (this invention) 4 4 3 (this invention) 4 4

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the absence ofglucoreducton, these reductions were significantly inhibited whenglucoreducton was formulated. The above results indicate that by causinga reducton such as glucoreducton to coexist with sucralose, theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose can both be remarkablystabilized.

Example 42

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added phosphatidylcholine (powder)at the levels indicated in Table 42, and each mixture was made up to 100parts with dextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition (powderymixture). This composition was heated in an oven at 100° C for 1 hourand, then, tested for sweetness as in Example 1 to evaluate the thermalstability of sucralose. The results are shown in Table 42.

TABLE 42 Level of addition (parts by weight) Sweetness Intensity Quality0 (control) 2 2 1 (this invention) 4 4 3 (this invention) 4 4

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the absence ofphosphatidylcholine, these reductions were significantly inhibited whenphosphatidylcholine was formulated. The above results indicate that bycausing a phospholipid such as phosphatidylcholine to coexist withsucralose, the intensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose can bothbe remarkably stabilized.

Example 43

To 1 part of sucralose (powder) was added butylhydroxyanisole (BHA)(powder) at the levels indicated in Table 43 and each mixture was madeup to 100 parts with dextrin to give a sucralose-containing composition(powdery mixture). This composition was heated in an oven at 100° C. for1 hour and, then, tested for sweetness as in Example 1 to evaluate thethermal stability of sucralose. The results are shown in Table 43.

TABLE 43 Level of addition (parts by weight) Sweetness Intensity Quality0 (control) 2 2 1 (this invention) 4 4 3 (this invention) 4 4

It was found that whereas heating caused significant reductions in theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the absence of BHA,these reductions were significantly inhibited when BHA was formulated.The above results indicate that by causing BHA to coexist withsucralose, the intensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose can bothbe remarkably stabilized.

Example 44

As shown in Table 44, gallic acid (5 parts) and/or calcium lactate (5parts) (a total of 10 parts in combination use) was added to 1 part ofsucralose and the mixture was made up to 100 parts with dextrin to givea sucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture). This compositionwas stored at 40° C. for 6 months and, then, tested for sweetness as inExample 1 to evaluate the storage stability (shelf life) of sucralose.The results are shown in Table 44.

TABLE 44 Sweetness Intensity Quality No addition (control) 2 2 Gallicacid (this invention) 3 3 Calcium lactate (this invention) 3 4 Gallicacid + calcium lactate (this invention) 4 5

Whereas the 6-month-long storage at 40° C. caused significant reductionsin both the intensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose in the caseof no addition, these reductions were significantly inhibited whengallic acid or calcium lactate was added. It was also found that theintensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose could both be moreremarkably stabilized by using the above-mentioned two formulatingagents in combination.

Example 45

One part of sucralose (powder) was blended with sodium inosinate,protein hydrolysate, sodium glutamate, tartaric acid or sodium chloride(each powder) in the ratio indicated in Table 45 to give asucralose-containing composition (powdery mixture) A 15 g portion ofeach composition thus obtained was taken in a polyethylene bag andstored at 60° C. under monitoring for change in appearance. As control,the same test was performed on sucralose alone. The results are alsoshown in Table 45.

TABLE 45 Storage at 60° C. 3 Days 6 Days 12 Days Sucralose alone + +++++ +++ sodium inosinate (1:0.6) + − + ++ protein hydrolysate*(1:5) + + + + sodium glutamate (1:10) + + + ++ tartaric acid(1:0.6) + + + ++ sodium chloride (1:10) + + ++ *Protein hydrolysate:casein peptide (trade name: Glutarome, product of Grenou (Germany))<Evaluation Criteria> −: No discoloration +: Slight discoloration ++:Definite discoloration +++: Substantial discoloration

It will be apparent from the above results that whereas sucralose usedalone had already been discolored after 3 days of storage at 60° C. andseverely discolored after 6 days, the discoloration of the compositionof the invention had been significantly inhibited even after 6 days ofstorage. These findings indicate that when sucralose is used incombination with sodium inosinate, protein hydrolysate, sodiumglutamate, tartaric acid or sodium chloride, the stability of sucraloseis improved so that its discoloration can be significantly inhibitedeven under long-term storage at elevated temperature.

Incidentally when sucralose as such and the above-mentioned variouscompositions were stored at 25° C. for 12 days, invariably nodiscoloration was observed.

Example 46 Hard Candy

One-hundred (100) parts of palatinit was mixed with 30 parts of waterunder stirring and the mixture was boiled down by heating under reducedpressure (degree of vacuum 14.6 kPa) at 150° C. After the pressurereduction was stopped, 0.1 part of sucralose and 0.02 part of one of thesubstances indicated in Table 46 were added and the whole mixture wasmaintained at atmospheric pressure under heating at 140° C. Theresulting syrup was serially sampled at 0, 10, 20, 30 and 60 minutes andeach sample was molded using a disk-shaped die to prepare a hard candyweighing 3 g per piece. Each of the hard candies prepared in the abovemanner was subjected to an organoleptic evaluation using a panel of 20tasters for the intensity and quality of sweetness to assess the thermalstability of sucralose. This evaluation of thermal stability was madeusing the sweetness (intensity, quality) score of the control candysample at 140° C.×0 min. as 5 and rating the change in sweetnessaccording to the criteria given below. In this connection, there was nogustatory difference between controls. The results are shown in Table46. In Table 46, / signifies “the intensity/quality of sweetness”.

Slightly Somewhat Moderately Definitely Unchanged changed changedchanged changed Intensity 5 4 3 2 1 of sweet- ness Quality of 5 4 3 2 1sweetness (mild feel)

TABLE 46 140° C. holding time (min.) Substance used in combination withsucralose 0 10 20 30 60 Trisodium citrate 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/4 Sodiumlactate 5/5 5/5 5/4 5/4 4/3 Tripotassium citrate 5/5 5/5 5/4 4/4 4/3Disodium hydrogenphosphate 5/5 5/5 5/4 5/4 4/3 Sodium malate 5/5 5/5 4/44/4 4/3 Sodium tartrate 5/5 5/4 4/4 4/4 4/3 Sodium gluconate 5/5 5/4 5/44/4 3/3 Magnesium lactate 5/5 5/5 5/4 5/4 4/4 Magnesiumdihydrogenphosphate 5/5 5/5 5/5 4/5 4/4 No addition (control) 5/5 4/44/3 3/3 2/2

It was found that the formulation of scralose and above substancestogether resulted in an inhibition of the thermal degradation ofsucralose in terms of the intensity and quality of sweetness at atorturous high temperature of 140° C. so that the thermal stability ofsucralose was enhanced in a remarkable measure. Among the substancestested, trisodium citrate gave the marked heat stabilizing effect.

Example 47 Acidic Hard Candy

A saur hard candy was prepared using trisodium citrate which gave themost outstanding effect in Example 46 and the thermal stability ofscralose under acidic conditions was evaluated. Thus, 100 parts ofpalatinit was mixed with 30 parts of water under stirring and themixture was boiled down by heating at 150° C. under reduced pressure(degree of vacuum: 14.6 kPa). The pressure reduction was stopped and thesystem was cooled down to 140° C. Then, citric acid and trisodiumcitrate were added in that order at the levels indicated in Table 47 anddissolved by stirring. Then, 0.03 part of sucralose was added and themixture was maintained at atmospheric pressure under heating at 140° C.This syrup was sampled at 10, 30 and 60 minutes and each sample wasmolded using a disk-shaped die to give a hard candy weighing 3 g perpiece. Each of the hard candies prepared in the above manner wassubjected to a sensory test for the intensity and quality of sweetnessas in Example 46 to assess the thermal stability of sucralose. Theresults are shown in Table 47.

TABLE 47 Level of Level of tri- 140° C. holding time (min.) citric acidsodium citrate pH 10 30 60 2.0 0.2 2.7 5/5 5/5 5/5 2.0 0.1 2.5 5/5 5/55/5 2.0 0.02 2.5 5/5 5/5 5/4 2.0 0 2.5 5/4 3/2 2/2 1.0 0.2 2.8 5/5 5/55/5 1.0 0.1 2.7 5/5 5/5 5/5 1.0 0 2.6 5/5 3/3 2/2 [Intensity ofsweetness/quality of sweetness]

It is clear from the above results that, in an acidic hard candy, theformulation of sucralose and trisodium citrate together minimizes thereductions in the intensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose at atorturous high temperature of 140° C. so that the thermal stability ofsucralose is enhanced in a remarkable measure.

Example 48 Herb Candy

<Recipe> 1. Reduced maltose syrup 50.0 2. Palatinit 49.0 3. Reducedstarch syrup 21.0 4. Sucralose 0.02 5. Trisodium citrate 0.007 6. Herbextract 0.6 7. Peppermint flavor 0.2 8. Caramel color 0.2 9. Water 30.0To be boiled down to 100 parts.

To the above components 1-4 was added the component 9, and using avacuum cooker, the mixture was boiled down under a reduced pressure of14.6 kPa up to 150° C. Then, the components 5-8 were added and the wholemixture was molded using a die under heating at a constant temperatureof 150° C. and, then, cooled to give a herb candy.

In the above production flow, it took 30 minutes to complete filling thedie with the whole mixture syrup at 150° C. but the herb candy obtainedjust after the start of filling and the herb candy obtained just beforecompletion of filling were not different in the intensity or quality ofsweetness and both had a pleasing flavor. Moreover, even after1-year-long storage at 30° C., the herb candy retained the samesweetness (intensity and quality) and flavor showed by the candyimmediately after production.

Example 49 Apple Candy

<Recipe>  1. Reduced maltose syrup 50  2. Palatinit 40  3. Reducedstarch syrup 21  4. Reduced lactose (monohydrate) 9  5. Sucralose 0.03 6. Calcium lactate 0.02  7. Citric acid (crystal)N 1.5  8. Color 0.02 9. Flavor 0.2 10. Water 30 To be boiled down to 100 parts

To the above components 1-4 was added the component 10, and the mixturewas boiled down at 190° C. and atmospheric pressure and, then, cooled to140° C. Thereafter, the components 5-9 were added and the whole mixturewas molded using a die at a constant temperature of 140° C. and, then,cooled to give an apple candy (pH 2.6).

In the above production flow, it took 45 minutes to complete filling thedie with the whole mixture syrup at 140° C. but the apple candy obtainedjust after the start of filling and the apple candy obtained just beforecompletion of filling were not different in the intensity or quality ofsweetness and both had a pleasing flavor. Moreover, even after1-year-long storage at 40° C., the apple candy retained the sweetness(intensity and quality) and flavor shown by the candy immediately afterproduction.

Further, except that 2 parts of a 5-fold concentrated apple juice wasadded in lieu of calcium lactate in the above formulation, an applecandy was prepared in: the same manner as above. As a result, thisadditive was found to be as effective as calcium lactate in maintainingthe intensity and quality of sweetness of sucralose.

Example 50 Orange Juice-Containing Drink

<Recipe> Sucralose 0.008 Concentrated Valencia orange juce (Brix 55°)4.4 Citric acid (crystals) 0.16 Vitamin C 0.03 Native gellan gum 0.025Pectin 0.0025 Orange flavor (product of San-Eigen FFI Co.) 0.25 WaterBalance Total 100.0000 parts

First, native gellan gum and pectin were added to water and the mixturewas stirred at 80° C. for 10 minutes. To this mixture were added all theother components but orange flavor, and the whole was stirred underheating up to 93° C. Then, the orange flavor was added and afterthorough stirring, the mixture was filled into a bottle to give anorange juice-containing drink. The concentrated Valencia orange juice(Brix 55°) was treated with hesperidinase in advance to decompose thehesperidin.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention provides a stable form of sucralose which is ofuse as an edible product as such or as a formulating additive forvarious edible products. More particularly, the invention is concernedwith a sucralose-containing composition in which the thermal stabilityof sucralose and the intensity and quality of sweetness of sucralosehave been further improved by the formulation of one or more definedsubstances. By imparing thermal stability to sucralose in accordancewith the present invention, the untoward phenomena such as reductions insweetness and discoloration of sucralose upon heat-treatment orlong-term storage in moisture-lean state and under low pH or otherrugged conditions can be successfully precluded. Thus, through thestabilization of sucralose, the present invention facilitates thehandling of sucralose and expands the versatility of sucralose in itsapplication as a table sweetener or a sweetener for a broad variety ofedible products liable to be exposed to unpredictably wide fluctuationsin the environmental factors in the stages of production, storage anddistribution, such as foods (inclusive of drinks) and other ingestablecompositions (pharmaceutical products, quasi-drug products, etc.).

1. A method for improving the thermal stability of sucralose, the methodcomprising combining sucralose with at least one compound containing apurine base as a constituent selected from the group consisting ofinosine, hypoxanthine, inosinic acid, adenylic acid, guanylic acid, andsalts thereof, using said at least one compound in a proportion of atleast 0.001 parts by weight relative to 1 part by weight of sucralose.2. A method for improving the thermal stability of sucralose accordingto claim 1, wherein said at least one compound is used in a proportionof at least 0.01 parts by weight relative to 1 part by weight ofsucralose.
 3. A method for improving the thermal stability of sucraloseaccording to claim 1, wherein said at least one compound is sodiuminosinate.